“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
Blog Article
Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution immediately after equipment paid for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal rates could consist of fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached by the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court matter, is looking for to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal expenses and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud following gear compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Crime Unit on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to look inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket within the day but the subject wasn't put on the courtroom roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to get to recover in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful expenses and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed various enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicines high flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises ended up a hat producing business and also a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested a number of moments for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery inside the 1980s.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is but for being offered by using a cost sheet, achievable charges, involve fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached from the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter, according to an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted on the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - about R54.3-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money several years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ สลาก as two of numerous directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly reports.
A whole new entity Together with the identical identify was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In line with CIPC records. Instead, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as administrators.
Around the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared along with the machinery was eliminated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial area, which housed various of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum website, like the previous one in Wetton, was well far from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and people could not access it. There was no signage about the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had obtained Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates involve R1.four-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which happens to be registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about fantastic experiences linked to previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s firm.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.