“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 because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution after gear paid out for with cash within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the legal expenses could incorporate fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached through the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court docket make a difference, is in search of to Recuperate over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, authorized costs and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after products compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to look inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket about the working day nevertheless the subject wasn't put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The criminal expenses stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is searching for to Get well about R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed a number of companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medicines superior flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran in the premises have been a hat manufacturing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested various situations for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is still to get presented by using a charge sheet, possible prices, contain fraud, removing of apparatus that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter, In line with an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical several years, In line with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ผล หวย หุ้น as two of numerous directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year studies.
A new entity Along with the exact same title was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, according to CIPC documents. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared and the equipment was taken off, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial space, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum web page, like the old a single in Wetton, was properly from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not accessibility it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this 12 months right after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the only lottery grant that the CTMCA received. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who had been given Covid funding but last but not least relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his family members and his associates incorporate R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC raised questions about remarkable reviews associated with previously funding gained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is often a R1-million payment by 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 as being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business in which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.