“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution right after gear compensated for with cash through the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony costs could include fraud, elimination of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court issue, is trying to find to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal expenses and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after machines paid out for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City setting up.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Professional Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to look in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket within the day even so the make any difference was not put on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The prison costs stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is in search of to Get better over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, lawful expenses and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed numerous firms owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medication superior flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested many moments for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery inside the 1980s.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
While Stemmet is still to generally be offered by using a demand sheet, attainable costs, include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected through the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, In line with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Portion of more than R64-million in Lottery money allotted towards the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - over R54.three-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money decades, according to National Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued cat888 as two of several administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one of the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reviews.
A completely new entity With all the very same title was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC records. Instead, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Road premises have been cleared along with the equipment was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, just like the old a single in Wetton, was perfectly far from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests could not access it. There was no signage on the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this yr following he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include R1.4-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on superb reports linked to previously funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the purchase 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 business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.