“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after gear paid for with money within the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the prison prices could involve fraud, elimination of kit that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter.
The costs stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom matter, is trying to get to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful prices and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to seem within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day nevertheless the subject wasn't placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The legal fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's in search of to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful charges and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine superior flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran in the premises were a hat producing enterprise in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested quite a few periods for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft while in the 1980s.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nevertheless to be presented that has a demand sheet, feasible fees, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached through the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power meter, As outlined by an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, As outlined by National Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued fox888 as two of many directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual experiences.
A fresh entity While using the identical title was subsequently registered as a private organization, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC documents. As an alternative, a relative, 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 Highway premises ended up cleared plus the machinery was removed, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial region, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations along with a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum site, just like the old 1 in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests could not entry it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC initially refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but eventually relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about fantastic reports connected with before funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually advisable which the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.