“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, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution just after tools paid out for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
According to a prosecutor the criminal costs could consist of fraud, removing of kit that were attached from the Sheriff and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket issue, is in search of to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful charges and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after equipment paid for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to look within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket within the working day even so the matter was not placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The legal fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's in search of to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal fees and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed a number of enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicines significant flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises were a hat manufacturing firm in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested quite a few situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft from the eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nonetheless being presented having a cost sheet, achievable charges, include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electric power meter, In accordance with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was A part of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated towards the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.3-million - compensated in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical yrs, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ltpbet as two of a number of administrators of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly reviews.
A completely new entity Along with the exact same title was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet no more a director, according to CIPC information. Alternatively, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Highway premises were being cleared and the equipment was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial area, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s corporations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web-site, just like the old a single in Wetton, was very well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and people could not accessibility it. There was no signage about the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this yr right after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had been given Covid funding but ultimately relented under media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-earnings entities associated with Stemmet and his household and his associates include R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly studies. Stemmet can be a former director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about fantastic experiences linked to previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of this to attorneys acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be compensated to his spouse’s corporation.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.