“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution just after machines paid out for with money from your Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, elimination of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering having 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 subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after tools paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and told to appear inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day however the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful charges and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot 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 This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medication higher flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises were being a hat production firm as well as a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several situations for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery while in the 1980s.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but being introduced having a cost sheet, attainable prices, include fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with 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 cash allocated to your CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, In line with Countrywide 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 ongoing ltpbet as two of quite a few administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly experiences.
A whole new entity with the identical title was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC information. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared along with the equipment was taken off, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s organizations and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, like the aged one in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage to the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet can be a former director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra 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 elevated questions on excellent stories related to earlier funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba personally 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 point of publication.