Peet Viljoen is expected to appear in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on Wednesday to apply for bail. Ahead of the hearing, BackaBuddy removed a crowdfunding campaign that had been launched to help pay his legal fees.
The BackaBuddy campaign, launched by family friend Tammy van der Merwe alongside Viljoen’s wife, reality television personality Mel Viljoen, sought to raise R400 000 for his legal defence.
According to the now-closed campaign page on BackaBuddy, it had raised R3 620 from six donors before it was taken offline. Visitors to the page are now met with a notice stating that the campaign ‘has been closed in line with BackaBuddy’s platform standards and Terms and Conditions, which we apply consistently to protect donors, campaign creators and the integrity of our community’.
BackaBuddy added that decisions to close campaigns ‘are never taken lightly’ and are guided by its commitment to fairness, transparency and platform trust.
The platform said all eligible donations would be refunded and thanked supporters for helping it ‘uphold a safe, neutral space for impactful giving’.
Viljoen is facing 400 charges, including fraud, theft, corruption, forgery and uttering, linked to an alleged R27.6 million Johannesburg Property Company property fraud scheme. The Hawks allege that several Johannesburg Property Company properties were unlawfully sold to bona fide purchasers in 2010 without the company receiving payment, resulting in significant financial prejudice.
Viljoen was arrested on 16 June after being deported from the United States and remains in custody ahead of his bail application. The State is expected to oppose bail.
The fundraiser’s organiser, Tammy van der Merwe, previously said the campaign was intended to help the Viljoens meet mounting legal costs while the case proceeds.
The legal saga extends beyond the criminal proceedings. Peet and Mel Viljoen have also been embroiled in disputes involving the Tammy Taylor franchise, while South African franchisees have alleged they suffered financial losses after purchasing franchises from a company the couple allegedly did not own. Those allegations have not been tested in the current criminal proceedings.
In a recent social media statement as reported by The Citizen, Mel Viljoen apologised for the couple’s past conduct, writing that they wanted to ‘take responsibility for our past’ and apologise to those they had hurt through their ‘videos, words and actions‘.
BackaBuddy has not publicly indicated that the fundraiser’s closure was linked to the allegations against Viljoen. The platform’s published terms allow it to suspend or remove campaigns that do not comply with its platform standards and terms and conditions.
Comments on the fundraiser reflected differing views. ‘We believe in Peet’s innocence!’ wrote one donor, while another said, ‘You are not alone and you deserve fairness.’ An anonymous commenter was more critical, asking, ‘I thought Mel said she was a millionaire, now she’s asking for money?’
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Picture: Deaan Vivier / Gallo Images
