“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution just after tools paid for with money through the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the criminal costs could consist of fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering using a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom make a difference, is trying to get to Recuperate about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal charges and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony 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 setting up.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day though the matter wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The prison fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's searching for to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful fees and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed many enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a drugs higher flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing corporation and also a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested many instances for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to generally be presented by using a demand sheet, feasible fees, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached with the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electric power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Component of greater than R64-million in Lottery money allocated for the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - above R54.3-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money several years, In keeping with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย as two of various administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.
A fresh entity While using the same name was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared and the equipment was eliminated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial region, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations along with a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum site, just like the old one particular in Wetton, was perfectly far from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage within the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but ultimately relented under media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates include things like R1.four-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is actually a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on fantastic reports relevant to before funding obtained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals 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, an organization through which the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be paid to his wife’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.