Reality TV husband remains in custody as state cites R27.6 million JPC losses and Tammy Taylor probe in bail fight.
Disbarred lawyer Peet Viljoen in the dock yesterday. He faces more than 400 charges linked to an alleged multimillion-rand municipal property fraud scheme. Picture: Marizka Coetzer
Disbarred lawyer Peet Viljoen will remain behind bars for another two weeks after his bail application was postponed to 23 July.
Viljoen, who is known for his role in the reality show, Real Housewives of Pretoria, with his star wife Melany, faces more than 400 charges linked to an alleged multimillion-rand municipal property fraud scheme.
Viljoen faces 400 charges after airport arrest
He was arrested on 16 June at OR Tambo International Airport in Joburg after being deported from the US.
Yesterday, Viljoen appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria. The court heard Viljoen’s affidavit and the state’s opposing affidavit.
Outside the court, a group of eight Viljoen supporters stood with newly printed T-shirts, caps and placards bearing messages of support for him. But none would speak about their support for Viljoen, or whether they were previous employees of the couple.
This follows the removal of a BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign to cover the legal fees of R400 000 for Viljoen the previous day. It had only raised R3 500 before BackaBuddy put a stop to it.
Inside the court, Viljoen’s legal representative, advocate Andre Steenkamp, read his affidavit.
Claims weak case and sues NPA for R500 million
During the state’s opposition to the bail application, the court heard Viljoen had threatened to sue the police and told one of the police officers during his arrest the devil would look after him and he was “going to hell for this”.
Viljoen also heard about seven other dockets against him and his wife linked to the Tammy Taylor saga, and all his allegations over the past year, including calling South African judges’ clowns, that he “didn’t speak baboon” and that he wasn’t planning on coming back to the country.
In Viljoen’s affidavit, he said the state’s case against him was weak and flawed and he was in the process of suing the National Prosecuting Authority for R500 million “regarding the contraventions of my constitutional rights. The summons has been issued.”
The court also heard that Viljoen is not allowed to return to the US for 10 years after being deported.
The state alleges that Viljoen played a central role in the fraudulent sale of at least 46 properties owned by the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) in 2010.
R27.6 million JPC fraud claims
This resulted in losses exceeding R27.6 million, as the JPC allegedly received no payment from the deals and Viljoen personally benefited from the scheme.
The state also referred to the Tammy Taylor trademark scandal, alleging that Viljoen engaged in criminal conduct and was subject to investigation by the Hawks.
The state also argued he was a flight risk because he sold all his assets before relocating to the US in May 2025.
