“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution soon after products paid for with funds within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison prices could include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached because of the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make any difference, is searching for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal expenses and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was previously the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud following devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and instructed to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court to the working day though the issue was not put on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison prices stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is looking for to Get better about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful prices and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing business as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested various periods for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
According to an SMS sent to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
While Stemmet is but to be offered with a cost sheet, probable expenses, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that were connected by the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter, In accordance with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated towards the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - over R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, As outlined by Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย ผล สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล งวด as two of numerous administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual reports.
A whole new entity While using the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In accordance with CIPC information. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the machinery was eliminated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s enterprises as well as a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum website, such as the outdated just one in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors could not access it. There was no signage on the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this 12 months following he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC initially refused to expose who experienced gained Covid funding but lastly relented less than media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-earnings entities associated with Stemmet and his household and his associates consist of R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that's registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC raised questions about outstanding stories linked to before funding received because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained with the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of this to attorneys acting in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.