“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide 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 just after machines paid out for with money in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony costs could involve fraud, elimination of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after products paid out for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and told to seem from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day although the matter was not put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony prices stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is looking for to recover more than R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized prices and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed a number of businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine high flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises ended up a hat producing company along with a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft from the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to generally be offered with a demand sheet, attainable costs, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached with the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City electricity meter, In line with an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated on the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - above R54.3-million - compensated during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย ย้อน หลัง as two of several administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reports.
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 loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web page, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers could not access it. There was no signage on the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant that the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is 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 obtained through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.