“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the National Lotteries Commission 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 seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony charges could involve fraud, removal of kit that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering with a City 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 more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-previous minstrel culture was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after products compensated for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day however the matter wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom in January.
The legal charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's in search of to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized prices and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a drugs higher flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran with the premises were being a hat producing firm along with a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested various moments for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery during the 1980s.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is still being introduced by using a charge sheet, probable prices, incorporate fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering by using a City of Cape City electrical power meter, Based on an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of over R64-million in Lottery cash allocated for the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - about R54.three-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical years, In accordance with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued lottovip as two of various directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.
A brand new entity Together with the exact identify was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet not a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Over the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared as well as machinery was eradicated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial location, which housed various of Stemmet’s organizations plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and visitors couldn't access it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but finally relented below media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-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, In accordance with NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about superb reports linked to earlier funding obtained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the 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 former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually proposed that the grant be paid to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.