“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded machines
Blog Article
Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution after equipment compensated for with cash from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal costs could involve fraud, elimination of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering having a City of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make a difference, is trying to find to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal costs and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after gear paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and instructed to look in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket to the working day although the subject was not placed on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The felony fees stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful charges and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a drugs high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran within the premises ended up a hat production organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested quite a few periods for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft while in the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is however being introduced having a cost sheet, attainable prices, include fraud, removal of kit that were hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City electrical power meter, In line with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Element of in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted for the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, Based on National Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย ย้อน หลัง 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 considered one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A completely new entity Using the exact same title was subsequently registered as A non-public business, but with Stemmet not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
To the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial location, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum internet site, such as aged a person in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and visitors couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage around the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association 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 force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates include things like R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on remarkable reports relevant to earlier funding obtained because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given 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 lawyers performing in the purchase 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 business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba Individually advised the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.