“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded machines

“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded machines

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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution following devices compensated for with cash from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the felony prices could consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that had been attached from the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom subject, is in search of to Get better above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud right after tools compensated for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town building.

Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to look from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.

GroundUp attended courtroom within the working day however the matter wasn't placed on the court roll since the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.

The felony rates stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's seeking to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.

The creating was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.

The premises also housed quite a few corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medicine substantial flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat manufacturing firm and a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested quite a few instances for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.

In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on thirty January 2025.

While Stemmet is nonetheless to become introduced that has a charge sheet, feasible costs, consist of fraud, removing of equipment that were attached via the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City electrical power meter, according to an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.

A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted into the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - over R54.three-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary many years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly studies.

Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued เช ค หวย as two of numerous administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.

In line with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.

A completely new entity With all the exact identify was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.

Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the machinery was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial place, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s businesses and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at the new premises.

Nonetheless, the supposed new museum web site, similar to the outdated one particular in Wetton, was properly from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not access it. There was no signage over the building indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this 12 months right after he fell unwell.

The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had acquired Covid funding but ultimately relented less than media and parliamentary stress.

Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates contain 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 once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a former director from the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered with the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about fantastic experiences linked to previously funding been given from the CTMCA.

GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained with the CTMCA.

Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to lawyers performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s company.

GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.