“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 because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution just after gear paid out for with cash through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the criminal charges could include fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering which has a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom issue, is trying to find to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal costs and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City setting up.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Professional Crime Device on 16 October 2024 and informed to look while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court to the working day though the make a difference was not put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The criminal expenses stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to find to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, authorized charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medications higher flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises have been a hat producing business along with a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested various occasions for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is however to become presented using a cost sheet, achievable charges, involve fraud, removal of apparatus that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter, according to an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of much more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted on the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - around R54.3-million - paid inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary many years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued lottovip as two of several administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reviews.
A brand new entity Along with the identical title was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet not a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. Instead, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Around the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared as well as equipment was eradicated, according to 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 businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Even so, the meant new museum website, such as the outdated just one in Wetton, was perfectly away from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage about the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had acquired Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director with the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on fantastic experiences linked to before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of this to lawyers acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.