“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, left, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution following tools paid for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison prices could include things like fraud, removal of kit that had been connected from the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electricity meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court matter, is trying to find to Get better over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after products paid for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and instructed to appear 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 court roll since the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The criminal costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's searching for to Get well over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal prices and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
The premises also housed various enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a prescription drugs substantial flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises were being a hat producing company along with a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several instances for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery inside the eighties.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nevertheless for being introduced by using a demand sheet, probable prices, incorporate fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter, In line with an electronic mail 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 over R64-million in Lottery resources allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - compensated in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial many years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ as two of numerous administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly reports.
A new entity Together with the exact same title was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC records. As an alternative, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Around the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared as well as equipment was taken out, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, like the old a single in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and website visitors couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage within the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had gained Covid funding but ultimately relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates consist of R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which happens to be registered within the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. However, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about superb stories associated with earlier funding gained from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation can be a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition 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, an organization by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally suggested which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.