“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the National Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution just after gear paid for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony costs could involve fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom make any difference, is looking for to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was faraway from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and told to appear within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court on the working day but the matter wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal rates stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medications substantial flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises had been a hat manufacturing company in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested various moments for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is however being introduced having a charge sheet, attainable prices, include fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - over R54.3-million - compensated within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical a long time, In keeping with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน as two of a number of administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting once-a-year reports.
A brand new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private enterprise, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC data. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
On the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises have been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s organizations and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not entry it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but ultimately relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on superb reports linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be 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 from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.