“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses above theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution after gear compensated for with cash through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal costs could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom issue, is trying to get to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal costs and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket to the working day though the make any difference wasn't put on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The prison fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to recover around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful fees and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs superior flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat production firm plus a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is still to be presented that has a demand sheet, feasible fees, involve fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City energy meter, Based on an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing cat888 as two of a number of administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity Using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A non-public organization, but with Stemmet no more a director, Based on CIPC records. Alternatively, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared along with the equipment was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web page, like the aged a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this year after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC annual reports. Stemmet is actually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on excellent studies connected to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid 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 an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo following Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.