“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after devices paid for with funds in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering with a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom subject, is seeking to Get better over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud after devices compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to seem during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court on the day nevertheless the subject was not put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The felony rates stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's seeking to Get better around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed several firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a drugs substantial flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran from the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested quite a few times for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however being presented using a cost sheet, possible expenses, involve fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electric power meter, In keeping with an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.three-million - paid while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued hihuay as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year studies.
A completely new entity Together with the same name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC information. Alternatively, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as administrators.
To the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises ended up cleared as well as machinery was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial area, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum site, like the old 1 in Wetton, was effectively from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises previously this year after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but ultimately relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates include things like R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions on excellent studies relevant to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.