“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
Blog Article
Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution right after equipment paid out for with cash within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the criminal costs could include things like fraud, removing of apparatus that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electricity meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil courtroom issue, is trying to find to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, lawful fees and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-aged minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after gear paid out for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on 16 October 2024 and explained to to look while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court to the working day even so the make a difference wasn't placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The prison expenses stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to find to Get well more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized prices and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-old minstrel culture was supposedly running.
The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a prescription drugs substantial flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises have been a hat producing business and a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested various instances for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed robbery while in the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is but for being presented using a charge sheet, possible rates, include things like fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering using a Town of Cape Town electric power meter, As outlined by an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery money allotted into the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money decades, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ผล หวย as two of several administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Home Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly reports.
A different entity Using the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet not a director, In keeping with CIPC records. In its place, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as directors.
On the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared as well as the machinery was removed, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at the new premises.
Even so, the meant new museum web site, like the old 1 in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not access it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this 12 months soon after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA been given. 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 had acquired Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates consist of R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is often a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about excellent stories linked to previously funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained with the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted 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 with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.