“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the National Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution just after devices paid for with cash from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the prison prices could include things like fraud, removal of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court docket make any difference, is seeking to recover around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, interest, lawful expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly operating.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after devices compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Unit on sixteen October 2024 and informed to look from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the day however the matter wasn't placed on the court docket roll since the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The legal prices stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's searching for to Get better over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized costs and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed several corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications significant flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat production organization in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested numerous situations for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is however for being presented using a charge sheet, feasible costs, contain fraud, removal of kit that had been attached via the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter, In line with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Section of more than R64-million in Lottery money allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - around R54.three-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary a long time, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ สลาก as two of numerous directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Home Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing annual stories.
A different entity Using the identical title was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, according to CIPC documents. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
To the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared and also the machinery was eradicated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial region, which housed several of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, like the old 1 in Wetton, was effectively from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this 12 months following he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the one lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates include things like R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is a previous director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. However, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on remarkable reviews relevant to earlier funding gained from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation can be 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 former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.