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

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

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

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution right after products paid out for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil courtroom issue, is searching for to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized expenses and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after tools compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town setting up.

Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and advised to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court docket within the working day nevertheless the make any difference was not placed on the court roll since the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.

The legal prices stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Get well about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal fees and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.

The setting up was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly running.

The premises also housed several firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications substantial flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran through the premises were a hat producing organization and a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested numerous moments for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed robbery during the 1980s.

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

While Stemmet is but being presented with a cost sheet, achievable costs, incorporate fraud, removing of apparatus that had been connected via the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power meter, In keeping with an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the matter.

A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of over R64-million in Lottery funds allocated to the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.3-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial yrs, In accordance with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual reviews.

Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน รัฐบาล as two of several administrators of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.

As outlined by Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year stories.

A whole new entity Using the identical title was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC records. As an alternative, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.

Over the night of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared and also the equipment was taken off, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial place, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.

However, the supposed new museum web-site, just like the old one particular in Wetton, was very well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the developing indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this calendar year after he fell sick.

The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant that the CTMCA received. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had received Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary strain.

Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is usually a previous director of the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions on excellent experiences connected with earlier funding acquired by the CTMCA.

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

Also below investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually advisable that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s organization.

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