“Pot” Stemmet faces charges above theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges above theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed by the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with funds from the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In line with a prosecutor the criminal fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized charges and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after products compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and told to appear within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court on the working day though the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The prison prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to Get better in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal charges and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicine superior flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat manufacturing company and a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested various moments for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is yet to get introduced with a charge sheet, achievable fees, involve fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with a Town of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to your CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - in excess of R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย as two of a number of administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
On the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared and also the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the supposed new museum website, just like the old a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this calendar year right after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates include things like R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly reports. Stemmet is a previous director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions on excellent studies relevant to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business in which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually advisable that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.