“Pot” Stemmet faces charges over theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges over theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution following gear compensated for with cash through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
Based on a prosecutor the prison expenses could consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court docket make a difference, is trying to find to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized charges and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day nevertheless the matter wasn't put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The prison costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is searching for to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal prices and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications significant flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat producing corporation and also a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested various instances for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft while in the 1980s.
According to an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however being introduced using a cost sheet, probable costs, include things like fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape Town electricity meter, Based on an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued lottovip as two of a number of administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity Using the identical name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
On the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and also the machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s organizations and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the supposed new museum website, just like the old a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not obtain it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this year just after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.