“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution following tools paid for with money through the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony fees could include things like fraud, removal of kit that had been connected through the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket issue, is seeking to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after tools compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and instructed to appear inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket on the day even so the make any difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The legal expenses stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's searching for to recover more than R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal costs and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a drugs higher flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises had been a hat production organization plus a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is yet being introduced using a cost sheet, feasible prices, include fraud, elimination of kit that were attached because of the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter, Based on an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted into the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary many years, In line with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ruay as two of quite a few directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the setting up 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 Mental Home Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual stories.
A whole new entity With all the exact name was subsequently registered as a private enterprise, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In line with CIPC data. Instead, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
To the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Highway premises ended up cleared and the equipment was eliminated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial place, which housed various of Stemmet’s corporations along with a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Even so, the meant new museum web site, like the outdated a person in Wetton, was nicely from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and people couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this yr right after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented underneath media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates consist of R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is actually a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about excellent studies related to earlier funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired by the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.