“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution soon after equipment paid out for with cash in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the prison expenses could include things like fraud, elimination of kit that had been hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court matter, is trying to get to Recuperate over R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, authorized costs and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Formerly the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) which is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud following equipment paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and explained to to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day however the issue was not placed on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to get to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed various businesses owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medication large flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran with the premises ended up a hat production organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is still being presented with a cost sheet, attainable expenses, include things like fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering that has a City of Cape Town energy meter, according to an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Element of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money yrs, according to Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย ล่าสุด as two of various directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A fresh entity Along with the same identify was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. Rather, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Around the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared and also the equipment was eradicated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial place, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s organizations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
However, the supposed new museum web-site, such as the outdated a person in Wetton, was perfectly away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't entry it. There was no signage around the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises earlier this calendar year immediately after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only lottery grant the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but eventually relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Even so, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on outstanding studies related to previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.