“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution right after products paid out for with cash from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the prison charges could consist of fraud, removal of equipment that were connected with the Sheriff and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil courtroom make any difference, is trying to find to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud following gear compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to appear inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day but the make a difference was not put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison prices stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to get to Get well more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized costs and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed various businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medication substantial flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises have been a hat manufacturing business along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery in the eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nevertheless to generally be presented by using a demand sheet, feasible fees, involve fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape Town electricity meter, Based on an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Element of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to your CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - over R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial several years, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing สลาก กิน รัฐบาล as two of many administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing annual experiences.
A completely new entity While using the similar title was subsequently registered as A personal firm, but with Stemmet not a director, according to CIPC data. Rather, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
On the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared plus the machinery was removed, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial region, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s organizations in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
However, the supposed new museum website, such as the previous 1 in Wetton, was effectively faraway from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests couldn't obtain it. There was no signage over the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this 12 months following he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not the only real lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-profit entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates contain R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is often a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on fantastic reviews connected to earlier funding obtained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to lawyers performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.