“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution following gear compensated for with cash within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal fees could incorporate fraud, removal of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom 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 building in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was previously the headquarters of the 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 working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following devices paid for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City setting up.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to appear inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom about the day even so the subject was not placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The legal expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, legal prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was previously the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medications significant flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat production organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is however to get introduced using a cost sheet, probable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been connected with the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Section of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted to your CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - over R54.three-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic years, In keeping with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ลาว ย้อน หลัง as two of several administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A new entity Using the identical name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared along with the equipment was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum site, just like the old 1 in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people could not access it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months right after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not the only lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about remarkable reports linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired 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 attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.