“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution after gear paid out for with cash with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal fees could include things like fraud, removing of apparatus that were attached by the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court subject, is in search of to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal fees and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-aged minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City setting up.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and told to seem during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day although the make any difference was not put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The prison expenses stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is in search of to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicine higher flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises were a hat production business and also a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested various periods for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery in the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is but to be offered with a cost sheet, feasible rates, incorporate fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electric power meter, As outlined by an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery cash allocated on the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.three-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal several years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หุ้น ชอง 9 as two of numerous administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual studies.
A new entity Along with the exact same title was subsequently registered as a private organization, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC documents. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
Around the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises have been cleared as well as the machinery was taken off, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial area, which housed various of Stemmet’s organizations in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
However, the intended new museum internet site, similar to the outdated just one in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and site visitors could not access it. There was no signage on the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the only real lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who experienced been given Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates consist of R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC yearly experiences. Stemmet is actually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about excellent stories related to earlier funding acquired via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which 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 the to attorneys performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.