“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution after tools paid out for with resources in the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town making he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison charges could contain fraud, removal of equipment that were attached by the Sheriff and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket make a difference, is trying to get to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful expenses and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud following gear paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town developing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the working day but the make a difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The legal prices stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is looking for to Get better about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal costs and harm to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed various organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicine large flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat production organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested a number of occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery during the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is nevertheless to get introduced using a demand sheet, attainable costs, include things like fraud, elimination of apparatus that were hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City electrical energy meter, As outlined by an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the matter.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted to your CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money several years, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 as two of numerous administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reports.
A fresh entity While using the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared as well as machinery was eradicated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms in addition to 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.
However, the meant new museum site, just like the old 1 in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage over the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this calendar year soon after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who experienced acquired Covid funding but lastly relented underneath media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates consist of R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is actually a former director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that's registered for the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about fantastic experiences associated with previously funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given from the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally suggested the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.