“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution right after gear compensated for with cash through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In line with a prosecutor the felony charges could consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that were connected by the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court issue, is trying to find to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools compensated for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and explained to to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom around the working day but the subject wasn't put on the court roll since the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony expenses stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to find to Get better above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed several businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medication substantial flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat production company as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested quite a few situations for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft within the eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is nonetheless being presented that has a charge sheet, doable fees, contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter, Based on an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal many years, In keeping with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ruay as two of many directors on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly stories.
A fresh entity Along with the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private organization, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC data. As a substitute, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
Around the night of twelve April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared along with the equipment was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial space, which housed many of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web page, just like the aged one in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't entry it. There was no signage within the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to expose who had acquired Covid funding but lastly relented underneath media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates consist of R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director in 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 workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about fantastic experiences associated with earlier funding obtained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation can be a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the 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 in which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.