EPISODE · Mar 30, 2026 · 4 MIN
From Real Housewives fame to real ‘shoplifting’ arrest infamy
from Daily Maverick · host Daily Maverick
South African couple Melany and Peet Viljoen revelled in the limelight. Melany featured on the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Pretoria. And Viljoen styled himself as a legal eagle. But all wasn’t as it seemed. The couple perpetuated the lie that there is a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, with Afrikaners being violently targeted. So they moved to the US, where they were arrested on shoplifting charges. Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley explains. Reporting by: Caryn Dolley Edited by: Joel Seboa Filmed by: Joel Seboa Produced by: Emilie Gambade Creative lead: Malibongwe Tyilo Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn Read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-12-the-viljoens-from-real-housewives-fame-in-sa-to-us-shoplifting-bubbly/ Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What this episode covers
South African couple Melany and Peet Viljoen revelled in the limelight. Melany featured on the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Pretoria. And Viljoen styled himself as a legal eagle. But all wasn’t as it seemed. The couple perpetuated the lie that there is a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, with Afrikaners being violently targeted. So they moved to the US, where they were arrested on shoplifting charges. Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley explains.
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From Real Housewives fame to real ‘shoplifting’ arrest infamy
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