“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution right after tools paid out for with cash from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, elimination of kit that were attached because of the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make a difference, is seeking to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal charges and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following devices compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and told to appear inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day but the make a difference wasn't put on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal rates stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to Get better in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal expenditures and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed several corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a prescription drugs large flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran from the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested quite a few situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is but to become introduced that has a cost sheet, doable rates, involve fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected through the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter, In keeping with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated to your CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - more than R54.3-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary a long time, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน as two of various directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing annual studies.
A whole new entity While using the exact identify was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, In line with CIPC information. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared along with the equipment was eliminated, 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”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the supposed new museum web site, such as the old one in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and readers couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates include things like R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that is registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional stories related to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently 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 an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s enterprise.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.