“Pot” Stemmet faces costs more than theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs more than theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, 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 going through prosecution just after machines paid out for with money from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
In line with a prosecutor the criminal rates could consist of fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached because of the Sheriff and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal costs and harm 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 it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after equipment paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and instructed to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day however 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 look in courtroom in January.
The criminal charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to get to Get well more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal expenditures and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medications significant flier. Between 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-similar offences and served time for armed robbery in the eighties.
In accordance 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 however being introduced having a cost sheet, attainable costs, include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached through the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City energy meter, In line with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary decades, As outlined by Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน รัฐบาล as two of quite a few administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.
A brand new entity Together with the exact name was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet now not a director, Based on CIPC information. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
On the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared as well as equipment was taken out, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial region, which housed various of Stemmet’s organizations and a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web site, such as the previous one particular in Wetton, was properly from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't entry it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this yr right after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who had acquired Covid funding but ultimately relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities associated with Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates include things like R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is usually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on fantastic experiences linked to previously funding gained from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by way of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.