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

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

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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution right after tools paid for with resources with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the criminal fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket make any difference, is looking for to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful prices and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) which is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud right after machines paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City creating.

Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and explained to to seem in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court about the day though the matter was not put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.

The felony fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal charges and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.

The developing was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly working.

The premises also housed various enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs superior flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran with the premises ended up a hat production organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several periods for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft while in the 1980s.

In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on 30 January 2025.

Whilst Stemmet is but being presented using a cost sheet, doable rates, consist of fraud, elimination of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City energy meter, according to an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make any difference.

A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to your CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reviews.

Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 as two of many directors on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.

As outlined by Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.

A whole new entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A non-public organization, but with Stemmet not a director, Based on CIPC records. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.

To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared and the machinery was taken off, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.

Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged just one in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and site visitors could not entry it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises earlier this 12 months right after he fell unwell.

The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had obtained Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.

Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is usually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design programme”. On the other hand, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about exceptional stories related to before funding received from the CTMCA.

GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received by the CTMCA.

Also under investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted like a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.

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