By Bulelwa Hoala

- BackaBuddy has closed Melany Viljoen’s R400 000 crowdfunding campaign for husband Peet Viljoen’s legal fees and says all donations are being refunded.
- The platform says the decision was made in line with its Terms and Conditions to maintain fairness, transparency and trust.
- Peet Viljoen returned to court on Wednesday for his bail application while facing about 400 charges linked to an alleged R27 million Johannesburg Property Company fraud case.
BackaBuddy has closed the campaign that Real Housewives of Pretoria star Melany Viljoen set up to raise R400 000 for her husband Peet Viljoen’s legal fees.
In a statement on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, the crowdfunding platform said the campaign was closed in line with its standards and Terms and Conditions to protect donors.
“Decisions like this are never taken lightly and are guided entirely by our commitment to fairness, transparency and platform trust,” the platform stated, adding that all donations are being refunded.
Meanwhile, disbarred lawyer Peet Viljoen is back in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria for his bail application today, Wednesday, 8 July.
He is facing approximately 400 charges, including corruption, fraud, theft, perjury and forgery, linked to an alleged R27 million fraudulent sale of properties belonging to the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), an entity wholly owned by the City of Johannesburg.
Viljoen was arrested on Tuesday, 16 June, at OR Tambo International Airport shortly after landing from the United States, where he was arrested alongside his wife in March 2026 after allegedly shoplifting groceries worth more than $5300 (about R87 800).
He was deported after spending approximately 100 days in United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
The couple officially left South Africa for the United States in July 2024 after the US owner of the Tammy Taylor brand sued them for $100 million (about R1.6 billion), alleging they continued using her trademark after their licence had expired several years earlier.
The dispute resulted in local franchisees of the brand losing millions of rands.
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