“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution right after machines paid for with money within the Lottery was removed from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the felony prices could include fraud, removal of kit that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil courtroom make a difference, is searching for to Get well more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, lawful expenses and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) which is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after tools paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to look from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom over the working day nevertheless the subject wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The prison fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to Get well over R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel culture was supposedly running.
The premises also housed numerous firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications superior flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises were a hat production corporation as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested numerous moments for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery while in the 1980s.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is yet being presented using a cost sheet, probable costs, include things like fraud, removing of kit that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In line with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - about R54.3-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic years, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued hihuay as two of numerous 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 certainly one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A brand new entity With all the very same title was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. As a substitute, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared plus the machinery was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the supposed new museum website, just like the old a person in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't access it. There was no signage over the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this year just after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. However, 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 with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid 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 a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.