“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo 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 faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the felony costs could consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools compensated for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and told to appear inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day however the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The legal charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to find to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, authorized expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-old minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran with the premises ended up a hat production organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several periods for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery while in the 1980s.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to generally be presented having a cost sheet, doable charges, consist of fraud, removal of equipment that had been hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City energy meter, In keeping with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make any difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated on the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic years, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing เช ค หวย as two of quite a few directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A brand new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
On the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum internet site, much like the previous 1 in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and readers couldn't access it. There was no signage over the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to reveal who experienced gained Covid funding but finally relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include things like R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered for the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on remarkable reports linked to previously funding acquired with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be 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 the direction of the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.