“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after tools compensated for with cash from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal expenses could include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected with the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court issue, is trying to get to Recuperate in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, authorized charges and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-aged minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City setting up.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to look inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court to the working day nevertheless the issue was not placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The prison rates stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's in search of to Recuperate more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a prescription drugs high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat production firm plus a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the 1980s.
Based on an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is nonetheless to become offered which has a demand sheet, achievable fees, involve fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with a Town of Cape City energy meter, according to an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - paid out in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money many years, As outlined by National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A whole new entity While using the exact identify was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC information. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial area, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s corporations along with a new “minstrel museum”, In line 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 outdated just one in Wetton, was properly from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family 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 reports. Stemmet is usually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about remarkable experiences linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.