“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution soon after machines paid for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison prices could include fraud, removing of kit that had been attached by the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court docket issue, is trying to find to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, legal fees and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was previously the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to seem within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the working day although the make a difference was not placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The criminal fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to get to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful fees and harm to a rented making in Crete Road, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medication high flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises had been a hat manufacturing corporation and a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested many periods for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft from the eighties.
In keeping with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is yet to generally be offered using a demand sheet, probable prices, incorporate fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached from the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, Based on an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Element of greater than R64-million in Lottery money allocated for the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - over R54.3-million - compensated in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued cat888 as two of various directors on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A new entity With all the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC records. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises ended up cleared along with the machinery was eliminated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial area, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum site, just like the old one in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this calendar year just after he fell sick.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to expose who had gained Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates consist of R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered within the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about remarkable experiences linked to previously funding gained from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained with the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually recommended the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.