Mel Viljoen Explains Why She Asked South Africans to Donate Towards Peet Viljoen’s Legal Costs

• Mel Viljoen explained why she sought donations to help cover Peet Viljoen’s legal costs, while maintaining she's still a millionaire
• Tammy van der Merwe, a friend of the couple, said she created the fundraising campaign because Peet’s legal fees are expected to be substantial
• Peet Viljoen is expected to start his bail application on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, after he appointed senior counsel Sita Kolbe to represent him

Mel Viljoen has broken her silence after it emerged that she launched a BackaBuddy fundraising campaign to cover her husband's legal costs. The crowdfunding campaign has since been shut down, with South Africa’s popular fundraising platform explaining why.

South Africans were stunned after screenshots of Mel Viljoen’s crowdfunding campaign surfaced online. This contrasted with her declarations in her first interview after her secret return to South Africa that she had millions in her bank account.

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Mel Viljoen explains why she launched fundraiser

In an interview with Netwerk24 on Monday, 6 July 2026, Mel Viljoen shared why she had started a fundraiser. She said she was inspired after South Africans raised R500,000 for Warrant Officer Karl Sander in a matter of days after his testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

"I think if someone could do it to raise more than R500 000 for a coffee machine for that policeman, I think it's a great idea to do it for Peet too," says Mel.

In the same interview, Mel Viljoen insisted that she is a millionaire, but claimed that she currently does not have access to her money.

"Remember, my money is stuck in America. I have some spending money and some clothes and food and that stuff, but it might take me a year to cash out my bitcoins and stuff," she told Netwerk24.

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Friend explains purpose of fundraiser

Speaking to News24 on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, Tammy van der Merwe, a friend of the couple, said she started the campaign a week ago to help them cover the costs. Tammy van der Merwe is also a former marketer for one of their Tammy Taylor nail salons.

“The reason I have created this and taken ownership of this is to help them out with legal fees. Those are going to be quite substantial, and they do need some help with regard to it,” Van der Merwe said.

By 14:00 on Tuesday, only R3 500 of the R400,000 goal had been raised for Peet’s legal fees. Van der Merwe’s message on the BackaBuddy site read:

“Let’s take hands to support them. Let’s show them kindness in Christ and love!”

What's next for Peet Viljoen?

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Peet Viljoen is expected to appear before the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, for his formal bail application.

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The application was expected to commence on Friday, 26 June 2026. However, the court postponed it after Peet fired his commissioning attorney, Carel Taute and appointed senior counsel, Sita Kolbe, who currently serves as a judge in the Court of Appeal, as his new lawyer.

Source: Briefly News