“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment

“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment

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

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution immediately after machines paid for with cash with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal charges could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been attached via the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket issue, is searching for to Get better in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud after devices paid for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City creating.

Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on 16 October 2024 and told to seem within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court over the working day nevertheless the issue wasn't put on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.

The prison expenses stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is looking for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal charges and harm to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.

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

The premises also housed various corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a drugs superior flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran from your premises have been a hat producing organization and a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested many times for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft in the eighties.

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 nonetheless to be introduced that has a cost sheet, attainable fees, incorporate fraud, removal of apparatus that had been connected from the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, In line with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.

A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was part of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated towards the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.3-million - paid while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial a long time, As outlined by Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly experiences.

Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย ล่าสุด as two of several administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.

In keeping with Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual reviews.

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

Around the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared as well as the machinery was eradicated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial region, which housed several of Stemmet’s enterprises plus a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.

Having said that, the meant new museum web site, such as old one particular in Wetton, was perfectly away from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers could not access it. There was no signage on the developing indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this yr right after he fell ill.

The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but eventually relented below media and parliamentary tension.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about superb reviews connected to earlier funding gained by the CTMCA.

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

Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged the grant be compensated to his wife’s enterprise.

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