“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution right after gear paid out for with money from the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In line with a prosecutor the prison costs could consist of fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape Town electricity meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom make a difference, is trying to find to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, lawful fees and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly working.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after products paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Professional Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and told to seem while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the working day but the make a difference wasn't placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's searching for to recover about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal costs and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-aged minstrel society was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications large flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran in the premises ended up a hat producing firm along with a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested numerous instances for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is still to generally be presented using a charge sheet, feasible charges, include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that had been attached via the Sheriff, and interfering that has a City of Cape City electricity meter, As outlined by an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.3-million - paid while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money decades, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing luckyvip77 as two of a number of administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A new entity Together with the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and also the equipment was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial space, which housed many of Stemmet’s organizations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web-site, like the old a single in Wetton, was very well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and website visitors could not access it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this calendar year following he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the one lottery grant that the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who experienced been given Covid funding but last but not least relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is actually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about remarkable reviews related to previously funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this 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 extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advisable which the grant be paid out to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.