Mel and Peet Viljoen ask for donations – BackaBuddy shuts it down

· The South African

Mel and Peet Viljoen’s bid to raise money for their legal fees has backfired after BackaBuddy shut down the campaign.

The couple – known for their involvement in the Tammy Taylor franchise scandal – launched the crowdfunding initiative, appealing to the public to donate almost half a million rand towards their expenses.

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Peet – who was recently arrested and faces 400 criminal charges relating to a 2010 property corruption scandal – is currently remanded in custody at Kgosi Mampuru prison. He is expected to begin his formal bail application this week.

The Viljoens were arrested in the US in March for allegedly shoplifting more than $5 000 worth of groceries from their local supermarket. Thereafter, they were sent to an ICE detention centre for reportedly overstaying their visitor visa. They were later deported to South Africa.

MEL AND PEET VILJOEN START CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN – BACKABUDDY

According to eNCA, Mel and Peet Viljoen launched a BackaBuddy campaign to raise funds to cover their legal fees.

The Viljoens titled the campaign as the “Defence fund project – and set their target at R400 000.

In an AI-generated poster, the couple claimed that the cash would go to Peet’s legal defence and make a “real difference”.

It added: “Together, we can get through this”.

Not long after, news broke that BackaBuddy had shut down the campaign.

BackaBuddy stated that this was in line with its platform standards, which are applied to protect donors, campaign creators, and the integrity of our community. 

It added: “Decisions like this are never taken lightly and are guided entirely by our commitment to fairness, transparency, and platform trust”.

All donations made to the Viljoen’s campaign would be refunded.

‘MILLIONS’ IN THE BANK

Speaking to Jacaranda FM last month, Mel Viljoen attempted to set the record straight on the couple’s brush with the law in the US.

The blonde businesswoman – who recently wiped clean both her and Peet’s social media accounts – implied that US police had set them up because they were “celebrities”.

Mel alleged that neither she nor Peet stole any groceries, as “there was a lot of money in my bank account”.

Mel further stated that she was a “millionaire” and could reveal the contents of her bank account, if she desired.

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