“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded devices
Blog Article
Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution right after products paid for with resources within the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
Based on a prosecutor the felony charges could include fraud, removal of kit that were attached through the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket issue, is trying to find to Get well over R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, authorized prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud right after devices compensated for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on 16 October 2024 and told to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court to the working day although the make a difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The prison prices stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is looking for to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized charges and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed several corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medications high flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran through the premises were being a hat manufacturing business and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested numerous periods for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed theft inside the 1980s.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is still being presented with a cost sheet, doable expenses, include fraud, elimination of kit that were hooked up with the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter, In accordance with an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery money allocated for the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - about R54.3-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic many years, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตา ว จ หวย as two of various directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reviews.
A whole new entity While using the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet not a director, Based on CIPC information. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
To the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared and the machinery was removed, As outlined by 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 companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum site, just like the old 1 in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant 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 finally relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates incorporate R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is usually a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about superb reviews relevant to before funding received with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is actually 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 by which the spouse of former 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 immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.