“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution immediately after equipment paid for with money with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the prison rates could consist of fraud, elimination of equipment that had been hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom matter, is in search of to Get better over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized prices and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after equipment paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town setting up.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to seem during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom around the day however the issue was not placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The legal rates stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's seeking to Recuperate over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed various corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a drugs significant flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises had been a hat production enterprise and a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested many occasions for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery while in the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is yet to be introduced that has a cost sheet, doable rates, include fraud, elimination of equipment that had been hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power meter, In line with an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the matter.
A grant of almost R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was part of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted into the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - about R54.three-million - paid out from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial years, In line with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual 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 ล่าสุด as two of several administrators of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.
A fresh entity with the identical name was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In line with CIPC data. In its place, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Over the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared and also the machinery was eradicated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial spot, which housed many of Stemmet’s organizations along with a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
Even so, the supposed new museum web site, such as aged 1 in Wetton, was effectively from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and website visitors couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage within the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this 12 months soon after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who had been given Covid funding but eventually relented below media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates include things like R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on excellent stories related to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of the 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 wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent questions to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.