Businesswoman and reality TV star Melanie Viljoen, alongside her husband Peet Viljoen, is embroiled in a heated legal battle over their Tammy Taylor South Africa franchise. According to ZiMoja, Melanie and Peet Viljoen, known for their roles on The Real Housewives of Pretoria and Real Housewives: The Ultimate Girls Trip SA, claim to be the founders of the Tammy Taylor franchise in South Africa. However, their business practices have come under intense scrutiny.
In 2022, the investigative program Carte Blanche exposed the Viljoens for allegedly scamming franchisees. Several women reported paying R345,500 each to become franchisees, only for the promised businesses never to materialise. Although the affected individuals have since been refunded, the scandal severely damaged the couple’s reputation.
Melanie recently announced on The Ultimate Girls Trip SA that she and her husband “secured a victory in appeal” against Carte Blanche and investigative journalist Catherine ‘Kate’ Innes Barry. “The regional magistrate ruled that all accusations against my husband were unconstitutional, unlawful, and biased. This is a victory for me because I have suffered tremendously due to this fake news that has been going on for about 15 years,” she stated.
Despite this legal win, the battle is far from over. Tammy Taylor, the originator and CEO of Tammy Taylor Nails in the USA, has accused the Viljoens of stealing her identity and business concept. “I am the founder and CEO of Tammy Taylor Nails since 1983. They are illegally using my name to sell franchises and counterfeiting my products,” Tammy declared. She further alleged that the couple forged her signature on illegal documents and used her name, logos, trademarks, and copyrights on their social media platforms.
Tammy also claimed she has been threatened and harassed by the Viljoens. “I will not be a victim of their abuse anymore,” she said. Peet Viljoen countered these allegations, asserting that there was no trademark infringement since they redesigned the logo and name, and used the same manufacturing company as Tammy Taylor in the US.
Melanie Viljoen vehemently denied Tammy’s accusations, labelling Tammy as the true scammer. “I am done with the lies,” Melanie said. She explained that when they planned their South African business, it involved their own salon using Tammy Taylor products. “Tammy assured us that she made her products in her own lab, but she consistently brushed aside our requests to visit the lab,” Melanie revealed. She discovered that Tammy operated out of a tiny warehouse, purchasing and distributing products as her own.
Melanie recounted another incident during the lockdown when they provided face masks for frontline workers, only to learn later that Tammy sold these masks to singer Billie Eilish, who then gifted them to frontline workers. “This is not the first time we were scammed by Tammy,” she said.
