“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with money in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been hooked up from the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make any difference, is searching for to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after tools paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day however the make a difference was not put on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The legal costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicine superior flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat producing firm plus a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested many occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to generally be presented by using a cost sheet, probable costs, incorporate fraud, elimination of apparatus that were connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Section of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, As outlined by National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตัว หวย as two of a number of administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reports.
A fresh entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC records. Instead, 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 early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared along with the equipment was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the supposed new museum website, such as the old one in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and readers couldn't access it. There was no signage over the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr just after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA been given. 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 had obtained Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on fantastic reports connected to earlier funding gained because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is often a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually recommended that 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 time of publication.