“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution following tools paid for with funds from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the criminal charges could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket matter, is trying to find to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal expenses and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud following equipment compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and explained to to seem inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day however the matter was not placed on the court roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony rates stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's in search of to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, lawful costs and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
The premises also housed numerous companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicines higher flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat producing enterprise plus a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested numerous situations for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft in the eighties.
According to an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is but to generally be offered that has a charge sheet, doable fees, consist of fraud, removal of apparatus that had been connected by the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter, In accordance with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary many years, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Commission (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 directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year studies.
A new entity with the very same identify was subsequently registered as A personal organization, but with Stemmet not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Around the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises have been cleared along with the machinery was removed, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial area, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms along with a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum web page, such as the outdated a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests could not access it. There was no signage around the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this year after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had gained Covid funding but ultimately relented less than media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates involve R1.four-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual stories. Stemmet is a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about outstanding studies associated with previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the 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, towards the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.