“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded devices

“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded devices

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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution just after machines paid out for with money in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court docket matter, is searching for to Get well in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud right after machines paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.

Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and told to appear inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court around the day however the make a difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom in January.

The prison prices stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is in search of to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal charges and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.

The making was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.

The premises also housed numerous companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicine large flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat production company plus a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested many periods for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft during the 1980s.

In keeping with an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on thirty January 2025.

While Stemmet is yet to become introduced using a charge sheet, doable fees, involve fraud, removal of apparatus that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter, As outlined by an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.

A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted into the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial years, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.

Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย as two of numerous directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.

In line with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly studies.

A completely new entity Together with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet not a director, As outlined by CIPC documents. Rather, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.

Within the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Highway premises ended up cleared plus the machinery was eradicated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.

Even so, the intended new museum web page, like the old 1 in Wetton, was properly from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this yr just after he fell sick.

The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had obtained Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates contain R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is usually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about fantastic stories associated with earlier funding acquired because of the CTMCA.

GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.

Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing 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 firm through which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his wife’s corporation.

GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.