“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution immediately after equipment compensated for with cash through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony costs could consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom subject, is looking for to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, authorized expenditures and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and instructed to look within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day even so the subject was not placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The legal expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal expenditures and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications significant flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat production business along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is yet to get introduced having a cost sheet, doable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that were connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering with a Town of Cape City energy meter, Based on an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, As outlined by National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing hihuay 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 amongst the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A completely new entity Using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared as well as machinery was eradicated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web-site, such as aged just one in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not entry it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who had 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 involve R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about fantastic experiences associated with earlier funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment from 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 as a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization in which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo following Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet through SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.