“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, still left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution following gear paid out for with resources in the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal charges could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected from the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make a difference, is trying to get to Recuperate in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after tools compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town setting up.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Professional Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to seem in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day even so the make any difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The legal expenses stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was previously the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed several businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicine large flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran with the premises had been a hat production enterprise along with a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested a number of moments for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is however to be introduced having a cost sheet, achievable charges, involve fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape Town electrical power meter, according to an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Component of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted to your CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money several years, In line with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing luckyvip77 as two of several administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A completely new entity Using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken off, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s organizations and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the supposed new museum website, such as the old one in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people 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 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction 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-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is usually a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional stories connected to before funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.