“Pot” Stemmet faces charges in excess of theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges in excess of theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after machines paid for with funds through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony rates could consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that had been connected from the Sheriff and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court subject, is searching for to Get well around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal fees and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-old minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after tools compensated for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town setting up.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and advised to seem while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court on the day although the subject was not placed on the court roll because the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The felony expenses stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to get to Recuperate over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, lawful costs and harm to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine large flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises were a hat manufacturing enterprise as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested numerous periods for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
Based on an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is nevertheless being offered by using a demand sheet, doable expenses, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that were attached by the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter, As outlined by an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the matter.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted towards the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - about R54.3-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic several years, In keeping with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตัว หวย as two of quite a few administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A whole new entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC data. Alternatively, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared and the equipment was eliminated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial area, which housed various of Stemmet’s organizations in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum site, such as the previous just one in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and visitors could not access it. There was no signage about the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. 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 experienced obtained Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates contain R1.4-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a former director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding obtained because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment by 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 previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.