“Pot” Stemmet faces charges around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution immediately after machines compensated for with cash within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal rates could include fraud, elimination of equipment that had been connected through the Sheriff and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court subject, is in search of to Get better more than R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, lawful costs and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud just after products compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day though the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed quite a few corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a prescription drugs large flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises had been a hat manufacturing company as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed robbery within the 1980s.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however to become introduced which has a cost sheet, achievable costs, incorporate fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached via the Sheriff, and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical energy meter, In accordance with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Portion of greater than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical yrs, In keeping with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued luckyvip77 as two of a number of administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual studies.
A different entity with the exact same name was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC documents. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and also the equipment was eliminated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial area, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum web-site, like the aged one in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people could not access it. There was no signage on the building 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 was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who experienced been given Covid funding but ultimately relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is actually a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment 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 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about remarkable experiences relevant to before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.