“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded devices

“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded devices

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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution just after products paid for with funds with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the legal charges could contain fraud, removal of kit that had been connected from the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court issue, is looking for to Get well around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City making.

Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Business Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court docket around the day however the make any difference wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.

The criminal expenses stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is searching for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal costs and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.

The making was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.

The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medicine large flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises have been a hat production enterprise and also a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested a number of instances for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft while in the eighties.

In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on 30 January 2025.

Even though Stemmet is yet to be offered which has a demand sheet, attainable costs, involve fraud, removal of kit that were connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical power meter, according to an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.

A grant of almost R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was A part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted to the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid out from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money decades, Based on National Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reports.

Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย ล่าสุด as two of various administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.

As outlined by Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.

A different entity Using the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC information. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.

Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and also the equipment was eradicated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial region, which housed several of Stemmet’s enterprises plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.

Nonetheless, the intended new museum internet site, such as aged 1 in Wetton, was effectively from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and visitors couldn't obtain it. There was no signage about the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this yr following he fell sick.

The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced acquired Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary pressure.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates involve R1.four-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is really a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which can be registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Nonetheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC elevated questions on exceptional experiences connected with before funding received because of the CTMCA.

GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained because of the CTMCA.

Also under investigation can be a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of this to attorneys acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally suggested the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.

GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.