A crowdfunding campaign launched to raise R400,000 towards the legal fees of disbarred lawyer Peet Viljoen has been shut down — twice.
The Back-a-Buddy bid for donations was initially launched by Tammy van der Merwe. The first donation was made on June 30 with a message stating a belief in Peet’s innocence. Donations were made until July 2, with amounts ranging from R500 to R2,000.
When the campaign was shut down by the platform, it was briefly restarted on July 7 by Viljoen’s wife, reality TV personality Melany “Mel” Viljoen. This was foiled by the platform.
Back-a-Buddy said donors who had already donated will be refunded.
Explaining its decision, the crowdfunding platform said the campaign was closed in line with its platform standards and terms and conditions, which they “apply consistently to protect donors, campaign creators, and the integrity of our community.”
“Decisions like this are never taken lightly and are guided entirely by our commitment to fairness, transparency, and platform trust. All eligible donations are in the process of being systematically refunded.”
The campaign raised just under R3,600 for the couple from Pretoria. They had left for the US last year after becoming embroiled in legal disputes over a nail franchise. However, their posting of glamorous photographs there ended when the couple was arrested in March.
They were accused of stealing groceries worth more than $5,300 (R86,370) from Publix Super Markets using a “ticket-switching” method, as reported on Carte Blanche. The scheme allegedly involved scanning low-cost items such as seasoning packets while bagging more expensive goods.
They professed their innocence. They did not stand trial on this case due to their deportation back to South Africa.
Peet Viljoen was arrested in June on arrival at the Johannesburg airport after charges were reinstated against him over the alleged fraudulent sale of properties belonging to the Johannesburg Property Company in 2010. He is due in a Pretoria court on Wednesday as part of his bail proceedings in the fraud case.
TimesLIVE
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