Why Viljoen is disbarred

HIGH COURT: RULED PEET WAS NOT 'FIT AND PROPER PERSON' TO PRACTISE >>→ Gave home loan broker use of a Porsche 911 and a Rolex watch.

- Ina Opperman

Peet Viljoen, of Tammy Taylor Nails infamy, returned to the spotlight when he left South Africa to live in Miami, US and started a website with a South African address where he offered his services as a lawyer, despite being disbarred.

In the wake of the Legal Practice Council (LPC) confirming that he may not practise law, his website content was changed to label him as a "labour broker".

His wife, Melany, admitted to The Citizen that she was the one who made the changes.

In ongoing correspondence with The Citizen and on their podcast, the Viljoen couple maintain that Peet's 2011 disbarment was the result of his arrest in a criminal case that made it impossible for him to attend court proceedings to defend himself, while continuously calling the LPC "useless" and "corrupt".

Kabelo Letebele, senior manager for communication and engagements at the LPC, confirmed that Peet was disbarred in 2011 and that he is not a legal practitioner in South Africa.

The Citizen requested clarification from the LPC and its predecessor, the former provincial Law Society, and scoured court records for an answer. We can confirm the series of events leading to his name being struck from the roll of practising attorneys.