“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, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution after equipment compensated 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 criminal costs could include things like fraud, removing of kit that were attached through the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape City electric power meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom matter, is in search of to Recuperate above R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, legal charges and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud just after products 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 advised to seem inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the working day even so the make a difference was not placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's searching for to Get well more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal expenses and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed many firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications high flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises were a hat production enterprise as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested various moments for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft during the eighties.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however to be introduced that has a charge sheet, probable fees, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape Town electrical power meter, according to an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to your CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.three-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, In accordance with Countrywide 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 ตรวจ หวย as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reports.
A fresh entity Together with the similar title was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. As a substitute, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises were being cleared along with the equipment was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial location, which housed various of Stemmet’s businesses as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum web page, such as aged just one in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and site visitors could not entry it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is often a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional studies connected to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained 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 lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s enterprise.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.