“Pot” Stemmet faces costs about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after gear paid for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the prison charges could contain fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected through the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town electricity meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court docket issue, is in search of to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful costs and harm to a rented making in Crete Road, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud right after tools paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Business Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and advised to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the day nevertheless the issue wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom in January.
The felony costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's seeking to Get well more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized costs and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medication higher flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises ended up a hat manufacturing firm and a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested a number of occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery during the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is yet to become introduced that has a cost sheet, attainable fees, include things like fraud, removal of kit that had been connected through the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City electricity meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Component of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to your CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money yrs, In accordance with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued เช ค หวย as two of many administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Residence Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual studies.
A new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared plus the equipment was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial region, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, just like the old a single in Wetton, was very well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests could not access it. There was no signage on the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this calendar year immediately after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had received Covid funding but eventually relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates include R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is actually a former director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about outstanding stories linked to previously funding received with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company in which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged the grant be paid out to his spouse’s firm.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.