“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear

“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear

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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution just after gear paid for with money from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison fees could incorporate fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil courtroom subject, is looking for to Get better in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-old minstrel culture was supposedly working.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud after devices paid for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town creating.

Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to appear inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.

GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day nevertheless the subject was not placed on the court roll since the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.

The felony rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's seeking to recover around R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal expenses and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape Town.

The building was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.

The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a drugs higher flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran from the premises have been a hat production corporation along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested quite a few times for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft from the eighties.

In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.

While Stemmet is but for being presented that has a charge sheet, probable expenses, consist of fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff, and interfering using a Town of Cape City energy meter, In line with an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the matter.

A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Portion of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery money allotted to your CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.three-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.

Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ผล หวย ลาว as two of several administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.

Based on Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The company was deregistered by the businesses and Mental House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.

A whole new entity While using the very same identify was subsequently registered as a private corporation, but with Stemmet now not a director, In line with CIPC documents. Rather, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.

To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Highway premises were being cleared and also the equipment was taken out, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial region, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s organizations and a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.

Nevertheless, the intended new museum site, similar to the old one particular in Wetton, was perfectly away from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and site visitors could not access it. There was no signage on the creating indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this year after he fell sick.

The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but last but not least relented below media and parliamentary tension.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is really a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered within the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC lifted questions on fantastic reports connected with before funding received with the CTMCA.

GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.

Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition 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 corporation in which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba personally proposed the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.

GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.