“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution right after tools paid for with funds through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony prices could contain fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket matter, is in search of to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized fees and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after equipment paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom about the day even so the subject was not placed on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's in search of to recover around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed various businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medication higher flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing enterprise and also a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested many instances for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is however being introduced with a charge sheet, attainable rates, consist of fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape Town electricity meter, In accordance with an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with 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 for the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic years, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ltpbet as two of quite a few directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A different entity with the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal corporation, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC records. Rather, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken off, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial location, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum site, just like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests could not obtain it. There was no signage over the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but ultimately relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include 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 really a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about exceptional stories connected to before funding received from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo following Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.