Peet and Mel Viljoen
Image: Instagram
Pretoria reality TV personalities Melany “Mel” Viljoen and her attorney husband Peet Viljoen who have previously drawn outrage for racist remarks accusing black South Africans of being criminals, are now themselves facing felony theft charges in the United States.
The irony has not been lost on critics after the couple, known from The Real Housewives of Pretoria, were arrested in Florida for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of groceries from a supermarket chain.
According to police in Boca Raton, Florida, the pair were linked to a series of retail thefts at a Publix store over a six-month period.
Mel reportedly told officers she acted alone and was in “survival mode”.
“She stated she was stealing because she was in survival mode and has not worked since coming to the U.S. due to not having a Visa,” a Boca Raton police officer wrote in the arrest report.
However, investigators said surveillance footage suggested both Mel and Peet participated in the alleged scheme.
“She was shown numerous pictures and videos of them in the Publix store. She confirmed their identities in the photos and videos,” police said.
Mel Viljoen allegedly said she acted alone as US Police probe Publix thefts. However, police said they have video footage of Peet's involvement as well.
Image: X
Authorities allege that from September 3 to December 24, 2025, the supermarket recorded losses of $3,556.71 (about R59,742) linked to the couple. By March 10, the cumulative losses had climbed to $5,302.17 (around R89,061).
Police claim the Viljoens repeatedly used a tactic known as “ticket switching”, where cheaper barcodes are scanned for more expensive items.
Investigators also noted that the couple allegedly arrived and left the store in the same black Range Rover during multiple incidents.
“Over the course of the last six months, The Viljoen's have worked in concert during multiple acts of retail thefts,” investigators said.
Mel reportedly continued to insist she alone committed the crimes — even after police showed footage of Peet allegedly stealing by himself in the store on August 29, 2025.
The pair were ultimately booked on Tuesday at the West Palm Beach Main Detention Centre.
Both face organised retail theft charges, a felony, and were each granted bail of $10,000 (about R168,062).
The arrest has triggered a wave of reactions online, including from South African comedian and musician Bouwer Bosch, who highlighted the couple’s previous social media behaviour.
“The irony of Peet and Mel being arrested in America for being thieves is ridiculous! You can’t script this,” Bosch said in a video reacting to the news.
He then pointed to past livestreams by the couple.
“The amount of times that they went live on their TikTok and Instagram saying ‘black people are criminals’, ‘black people steal’… they made such racist comments about black people and criminals in South Africa, and now they get caught for stealing?
"I mean, are you kidding me? It’s insane!”
Bosch added: “It just shows being a criminal is all about character, not skin colour.”
The couple’s arrest has also reignited controversy surrounding their past business dealings.
Reality TV personality and businesswoman Happy Simelane, star of The Mommy Club, reacted on social media after the news broke.
Sharing an article about the arrest, she wrote: “karma never miss.”
Simelane previously sued the Viljoens after paying R2.8 million for what she believed was a Tammy Taylor Nails franchise. She said she never received the keys to the store.
In March 2023, a South African court granted a default judgment ordering Tammy Taylor Nails SA to repay the R2.8 million plus costs.
Simelane later told the investigative programme Carte Blanche about the dispute.
The Viljoens relocated to the United States last year after a US court ordered them to pay $4 million (about R71 million) in statutory damages to the original Tammy Taylor US company for trademark infringement and breach of contract.
In a Facebook video posted at the time, Peet Viljoen said the ruling applied to a company he claimed had already been sold.
“She might as well have sued the moon. I applied for an interdict in South Africa, but she refused to respond. I also have the order (from the US court),” he said.
“All the order says is that she loses her rights on the trademark in South Africa; she gets $4 million, but this is against the company. I sold that company two years before the default judgment.”
Despite Mel Viljoen’s insistence that she acted alone in the supermarket incidents, US investigators say their probe into the alleged theft scheme is ongoing.