“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 through the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution just after tools compensated for with cash from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the prison charges could include fraud, removing of apparatus that had been hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape City electricity meter.
The fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court docket make any difference, is searching for to Recuperate over R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, authorized prices and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and explained to to appear from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the day however the subject was not placed on the court roll because the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The criminal expenses stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to get to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal expenses and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed various firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications significant flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat production company and also a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested several instances for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery while in the eighties.
In keeping with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is nevertheless to generally be presented that has a charge sheet, probable fees, contain fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, according to an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery funds allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - more than R54.three-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money years, In accordance with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน รัฐบาล as two of a number of administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year studies.
A brand new entity While using the similar name was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, In accordance with CIPC data. As a substitute, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared as well as the equipment was eradicated, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial area, which housed several of Stemmet’s businesses in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web-site, just like the old 1 in Wetton, was effectively from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and site visitors could not access it. There was no signage over the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this calendar year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had received Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.four-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is often a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on excellent stories connected to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advised the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.