“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution immediately after tools compensated for with funds with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the legal fees could involve fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been attached from the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket subject, is trying to get to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, interest, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after tools paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to seem within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket within the working day even so the make any difference was not put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The felony prices stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is in search of to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed many organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a drugs large flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises ended up a hat production enterprise along with a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested many times for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is but to become offered using a charge sheet, possible prices, include things like fraud, removal of kit that were attached via the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter, according to an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was part of in excess of R64-million in Lottery cash allocated towards the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.3-million - paid in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, As outlined by National Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of quite a few directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity With all the very same title was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC records. Rather, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
On the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial location, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum internet site, similar to the outdated one in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people could not access it. There was no signage over the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this year immediately after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates consist of R1.4-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about remarkable reports linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.