Mel Viljoen Breaks Her Silence After Secretly Returning to South Africa From the United States
- On Wednesday, 27 May 2026, Mel Viljoen quietly returned to South Africa after being granted voluntary departure from US detention
- She and her husband, Peet Viljoen, shared why she suddenly and quietly returned to South Africa, leaving him in the United States
- Peet Viljoen's lawyer withdrew from his case amid concerns over the couple's legal situation
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Source: Facebook
Reality TV star Mel Viljoen has broken her silence after secretly returning to South Africa from the United States. The former Real Housewives of Pretoria star returned from the United States, where she was detained, after being granted voluntary departure by a Colorado judge.
Earlier, Mel had indicated that she would wait for her husband, Peet Viljoen, who is currently being held at the US ICE California City detention centre. In an exclusive interview with Netwerk24 on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, Mel Viljoen confirmed that she had secretly returned to South Africa.
Mel and Peet Viljoen reveal reason behind secret return to SA
Responding to why she previously insisted she wanted to wait for her husband, Peet, Mel confirmed that she deliberately misled the press to protect her privacy.
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"I just wanted to calibrate a little first and protect my privacy," she said.
She candidly spoke about her feelings after returning to South Africa. Mel said that she was glad to be back home.
“It feels like home sweet home, you know. I'm really happy to be back, actually. Peet and I talk like this: Hey, we don't miss America yet, you know! We don't miss the fact that it's the ICE detention, but it's just not your people. It's not people of your kind there,” Mel said.
She shared that after she walked out of the Aurora Detention Center in Denver, Colorado, last Thursday, she decided to leave the United States after packing her belongings.
"I first took some time to pack and do some things. And then I just decided: I'm flying."
On Wednesday evening, Peet spoke to the same publication and shared why they had kept Mel Viljoen’s return to South Africa private. The publication reports that Peet said that they did not want Mel to be attacked upon her arrival at the airport.
"Mel doesn't like so much media attention, and we thought maybe I could be back by the weekend and then we could address the media together,” Peet said.
Mel said that she flew back to South Africa from Florida via Istanbul. Her lawyer met her at the airport "to make sure everything went smoothly."
Source: Facebook
Peet Viljoen dumped by lawyer ahead of court appearance
Peet Viljoen told Netwerk24 that Russell Kerr, his immigration lawyer, has since withdrawn from his immigration case. Peet claimed that this was after Mel had confronted Kerr about his failure to file a court application to get their vehicle, a black Range Rover, back. Peet and Mel claim that they paid $3,000 (almost R50,000) for Kerr’s services.
The Viljoens’ Range Rover was towed away after Peet was arrested on March 10 by Boca Raton police in Palm Beach on shoplifting charges. The publication reported that Kerr had not responded to inquiries by the time of publishing.
Peet Viljoen is expected to appear virtually before an immigration judge on 12 June 2026.
Peet Viljoen fears for his safety in ICE detention centre
Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Peet Viljoen shared why he was living in fear of his life inside of ICE’s California City detention centre.
He claimed that he was being sabotaged after witnessing an alleged crime and that law enforcement authorities were attempting to silence him.
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Source: Briefly News
