“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, still left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution soon after equipment paid out for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town making he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal costs could incorporate fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court make a difference, is looking for to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized expenditures and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and told to seem within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the working day even so the matter was not put on the court roll because the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The criminal costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to find to Get well above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized fees and harm to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medication significant flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were being a hat production corporation plus a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested several times for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
In keeping with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nonetheless to be introduced by using a cost sheet, attainable rates, involve fraud, removal of equipment that were attached by the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape Town electric power meter, In accordance with an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Section of in excess of R64-million in Lottery cash allocated on the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - more than R54.3-million - compensated within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary several years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย รัฐบาล as two of a number of directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual stories.
A whole new entity Using the identical identify was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In accordance with CIPC data. As a substitute, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
To the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Highway premises were cleared as well as the equipment was taken off, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial place, which housed many of Stemmet’s enterprises plus a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum web-site, like the previous a person in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests could not access it. There was no signage about the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises before this 12 months immediately after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who experienced received Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is often a former director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which happens to be registered within the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on remarkable reports connected to earlier funding acquired via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company in which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be compensated to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.