“Pot” Stemmet faces prices more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution soon after devices compensated for with cash with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison prices could include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court subject, is searching for to Get better above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized costs and harm to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to look inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day but the matter was not put on the court roll since the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The prison costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, legal expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a drugs superior flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran within the premises have been a hat manufacturing corporation plus a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested a number of instances for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft within the 1980s.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nevertheless for being presented using a demand sheet, probable prices, incorporate fraud, removal of kit that had been attached because of the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape City electric power meter, As outlined by an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of greater than R64-million in Lottery money allocated for the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - in excess of R54.three-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary several years, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of a number of directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly experiences.
A whole new entity Using the very same identify was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC data. In its place, 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 Highway premises ended up cleared along with the machinery 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 space, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum website, much like the outdated just one in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't obtain it. There was no signage to the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this calendar year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates consist of R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about superb studies related to earlier funding acquired by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.