South Africa: Mel Is Back but the Man Who Said He Beat the System Is Still Locked Up in America

1 June 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
  • Mel and Peet Viljoen were arrested in Florida in March for allegedly running a six-month barcode-switching scheme that stole R98,000 in luxury groceries from one supermarket.
  • Peet was struck off the roll of South African attorneys in 2011 and the Legal Practice Council confirmed last year he remains permanently barred from practising law.

Mel Viljoen landed in South Africa on 26 May, quietly, with no media, no cameras. After two months in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, the former Real Housewives of Pretoria star said she just wanted to breathe.

Her husband Peet is still locked up. His next hearing is on 12 June.

The couple were arrested on 10 March at a Publix supermarket in Boca Raton, Florida. Police allege they ran a six-month barcode-switching scheme, swapping price labels from cheap seasoning packets onto Prosecco, wine and high-end groceries before going through self-checkout. A police affidavit documented 52 fraudulent transactions between August 2025 and March 2026, totalling $5,302 -- around R98,000. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Peet distracting staff while Mel worked the till. Both pleaded not guilty. Because they had overstayed their tourist visas, which expired in November 2025, they were transferred straight from police custody into ICE detention.

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Mel described the conditions as inhumane, saying detainees were served food resembling dog food and forced to sleep on concrete floors. She called the facilities "Donald Trump's torture camps."

Before the arrest, she and Peet had spent months posting videos backing Trump and repeating "white genocide" claims about South Africa.

Back home, the tune changed.

"I want to say I'm terribly sorry for what we said about the people of South Africa," she said after landing.

If Peet secures voluntary departure on 12 June, it will not be a clean slate. The NPA has six active criminal cases against the couple involving fraud, racketeering and theft. The Pretoria High Court previously ordered them to stop selling Tammy Taylor Nails franchises after ruling they had misrepresented themselves to buyers. A US federal court ordered them to pay the Tammy Taylor brand's American founder $4-million -- around R71-million -- for trademark infringement and counterfeiting. They have refused to pay.

Mel has said she hopes Peet will resume his legal career on his return. He cannot. He was struck off the roll of South African attorneys in 2011 following allegations of fraud and misappropriation of funds. The Legal Practice Council confirmed last year he remains permanently barred from practising law in South Africa.

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