The Viljoens — from ‘Real Housewives fame’ in SA to US ‘shoplifting’ bubbly

“America is good to us!”

This is what Peet Viljoen posted – complete with a little icon of a US flag – on his Facebook page on 31 December 2025.

Accompanying the post is a video of him explaining in Afrikaans that he and his wife, Mel – Melany Viljoen – are happy in America and plan to stay there.

Peet says the situation in South Africa won’t change, and also makes it clear in the video that “almal weet van white genocide.” (Everyone knows about white genocide.)

He’s referring to the lies about white Afrikaner residents being violently targeted in South Africa – disinformation that US President Donald Trump has peddled and the basis for America’s Afrikaner “refugee” programme.

But now, barely three months after exclaiming that “America is good to us”, the situation is different for the Viljoens.

Shoplifting charges

They have been detained in the land of the free, on shoplifting-style charges in Florida.

But first, a few details.

The Viljoens are household names in certain South African quarters, for various, and not necessarily good, reasons.

According to local court papers and US police documents, their full names are Petrus Jacobus Viljoen and Melany Joanita Viljoen.

For ease of reference and to avoid confusion, they will be referred to here by first names.

The Viljoens have styled themselves as celebrities – Melany previously featured on the reality show, The Real Housewives of Pretoria, and her Facebook page describes her as “Afrikaner celebrity & TV Personality”.

Peet’s social media is filled with videos of himself addressing followers about various issues, including his perceptions about South Africa.

Cementing their status as attempted or aspirant glitterati is that they’ve featured in the local Afrikaans lifestyle magazine Huisgenoot.

As of this week, they are making much bigger news, but instead of curated, glitzy images of the duo, such as those in their social media feeds, their mugshots are now doing the rounds.

The Vijoens were arrested in Florida on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.

‘Switching price tags’

After this news emerged on Thursday, 12 March, Daily Maverick requested details about their detention from the Boca Raton Police Department, which is dealing with the case.

A response included police affidavits.

One of the affidavits said that an officer had been investigating “retail thefts” – the particular offence is known as “ticket switching” – happening at a Publix supermarket chain store, since last August.

The affidavit explained: “Ticket switching refers to a form of shoplifting where a price tag or […] barcode from a less expensive item is placed onto a more expensive item to pay a lower price.”

CCTV at the store was reviewed.

“This review showed the same two suspects failing to scan numerous assorted items in their transactions,” the affidavit said.

The two suspects had used a black 2016 Range Rover registered to Melany, which ultimately led to her and Peet being identified as the suspects.

Sparkling wine, toilet paper, bananas

“It should also be noted that the couple are public figures from South Africa,” the police officer’s affidavit said, adding that images from their social media accounts were used to confirm who they are.

“Both suspects actively engaged in the fraudulent activity together. Across all 52 transactions, the suspects failed to scan 392 assorted items.”

According to the police affidavit, the couple had been to the store again barely a week ago, on Sunday, 8 March 2026.

“Peet selected two bottles of La Marca Prosecco Sparkling Wine ($34.99 each), one package of Charmin Toilet Paper ($17.19), one case of Sanpellegrino Mineral Water ($29.99), one case of Maison Perrier Forever Lime Sparkling Water ($16.39) and one 12 pack of Coca-Cola Zero ($11.99),” it said.

“Melany then meets up with Peet on aisle 5 and places an organic banana bunch ($2.73), a bag of beets ($3.99) and a bag of Publix Gold Potatoes ($7.19) into the cart.”

The couple allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of items.

‘Survival mode’ and ‘wasn’t him’

Peet, according to the police affidavit, had not admitted to “ticket switching.”

Melany also said Peet had not broken the law.

“She stated she was the only one committing the crime and Peet had nothing to do with it. After showing her videos of Peet acting alone in the store on 08/29/2025, she still maintained that he had no dealings,” the police officer’s affidavit said.

“She stated she was stealing because she was in ‘survival mode’ and has not worked since coming to the US due to not having a visa.”

The Viljoens face aggravated grand retail theft charges.

Their arrests now add to the mountain of other legal issues they have been embroiled in.

Peet was apparently disbarred as an attorney more than a decade ago.

‘Best, most handsome’ disbarred lawyer

In 2011, an IOL news report (about an incident in which the word “monkeys” was construed as a slur) described him as “Pretoria underworld’s self-styled celebrity lawyer”.

Melany, meanwhile, appears to have defended her husband’s status as a lawyer.

Legal Practice Council investigating Peet Viljoen

In November last year, City Press reported: “Despite multiple searches and Mel Viljoen’s assertion that two judges called Peet the smartest, best, and most handsome lawyer to come out of Pretoria, no such court record could be found.”

Aside from that, the couple became embroiled in a legal saga straddling the countries in which they now court controversy – the US and South Africa.

This involved Tammy Taylor Nails, a corporation in California that deals in nail and skincare products.

It has various trademarks registered in the US and South Africa.

Nailing a court case

According to US court documents from last year that Daily Maverick has seen, Tammy Taylor Nails entered into an international distribution agreement with the Vijoen couple in August 2017.

This gave them the right to distribute Tammy Taylor products in Australia and Africa.

Eighteen months later, the couple was also granted the right to open nail salons in Africa under the Tammy Taylor name.

According to the court papers, by April 2022, both agreements with the Viljoens had been terminated.

But it was alleged that the couple continued using the Tammy Taylor name without authorisation.

The US court ordered the Viljoens to “remove and destroy any and all existing signage” involving the Tammy Taylor name or branding.

It also granted Tammy Taylor Nail Inc’s “motion for statutory damages” and awarded it US$4-million (around R66-million) because of the Viljoens’ “counterfeiting of” the corporation’s US-registered trademarks.

Debt and diamonds

These legal proceedings may have contributed to putting the couple out of pocket.

The Viljoens, based on a Gauteng high court judgment dated January 2025, clearly had money issues.

A section of the judgment hints at this, saying: “On 7 January 2025, while the Viljoens were in the United States, the Sheriff telephonically informed Mr Viljoen that the value of the jewellery when sold on auction only amounted to R1.3-million and therefore he would attend at their premises on 14 January 2025 to remove moveable assets to satisfy the judgment debt.”

The Viljoens face aggravated grand retail theft charges.

Another section referred to “goods under attachment” and said the Viljoens “offered diamonds which were stated to have a value in excess of R2.7-million, being an amount in excess of the judgment debt granted against them.”

It was not clear on Thursday whether Peet and Melany were still in custody in the US, which Peet barely three months ago insisted was “good” for them.

Peet had also claimed he would be the richest lawyer in America. It now appears the Viljoens will require the services of a lawyer. DM