“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution after products compensated for with funds with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the felony rates could contain fraud, removal of kit that were attached from the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape Town electricity meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil courtroom make a difference, is seeking to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud following equipment paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to appear during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day but the make any difference was not placed on the court roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's looking for to recover over R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal expenses and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicine high flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran within the premises had been a hat production enterprise as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested quite a few occasions for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery from the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however to generally be offered with a cost sheet, feasible charges, involve fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached via the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City energy meter, In keeping with an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted for the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal yrs, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued hihuay as two of quite a few administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as 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 directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A fresh entity While using the same name was subsequently registered as a private organization, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC information. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared as well as machinery was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial space, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s enterprises as well as a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, just like the old a single in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not access it. There was no signage over the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not the only lottery grant the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had obtained Covid funding but finally relented below media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates involve R1.four-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on excellent studies connected to earlier funding acquired with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.