The claws are officially out in a bitter war of words between reality TV stars Happy Simelane and Mel Viljoen, with Viljoen now publicly accusing Simelane of scamming South African women out of millions of rands.
The escalations follow a formal letter of demand sent on Tuesday by Simelane’s legal team, Ntozake Attorneys, reported Caxton Network News.
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The letter threatens Viljoen with a R1m high court defamation lawsuit if she does not retract and delete ‘false, misleading and defamatory’ social media statements.
When asked by Caxton Network News if there was any room for mediation, a defiant Simelane responded: “Hell, no.”
Viljoen, however, is also refusing to back down.
“I am inviting all the victims scammed by Happy [Simelane] to contact me. I will help you to get your money back,” Viljoen said in a WhatsApp message sent to Caxton Network News earlier this morning (July 15).
Responding to Viljoen’s latest offensive, Simelane dismissed the counter-accusations.
“At this point, I think this is a court matter. I’ll leave the law to take its course; her trying to shift the narrative is diabolical,” Simelane said.
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The demands and the R1m threat
According to the letter of demand, Simelane, famously known as ‘Her Majesty’, has given Viljoen a strict seven-day ultimatum to publish a prominent, unequivocal apology and retraction on all social media platforms where the allegedly defamatory claims were made.
The letter says that should Viljoen fail to comply, Simelane’s lawyers have instructions to approach the high court to secure an interdict restraining Viljoen from making further defamatory statements, a claim of R1m for reputational and commercial damages and a punitive legal cost order against her.
Explosive allegations: Thabo Bester connection
At the heart of the legal dispute are social media posts dating back to 2023, in which Viljoen allegedly linked Simelane to convicted murderer, rapist and prison escapee Thabo Bester.
Simelane’s lawyers contend she was completely misled about Bester’s true identity when they met, believing him to be a different businessman entirely.
The legal team argues that Viljoen maliciously edited and shared video footage of the meeting out of context to frame Simelane as a co-conspirator falsely.
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The attorneys highlighted that once Simelane discovered the truth, she voluntarily participated in the Netflix documentary Beauty and Bester to be fully transparent with the public.
Denial of Ponzi schemes
Viljoen has also accused Simelane of operating as a front for Chinese-headquartered multi-level marketing (MLM) companies, specifically Longrich Bioscience and QZ Asset Management.
While QZ Asset Management has allegedly collapsed, Longrich Bioscience continues to operate, with its South African headquarters located in Sandton. Longrich markets itself as a wealth-building MLM selling cosmetics and household goods, though its business model has faced international scrutiny.
In 2019, the Bank of Namibia declared Longrich an illegal financial scheme.
Simelane publicly joined Longrich in 2019, stating on Instagram at the time that it was ‘the biggest business decision’ of her life. On her website, she is listed as a ‘star director’ of the company.
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Meanwhile, QZ Asset Management, which promised returns of up to 400% using AI trading, was investigated by South African authorities.
Simelane confirmed she was called to court for an inquiry regarding QZ Asset Management in 2024.
“I represented my facts,” Simelane said of the inquiry.
If my hands were dirty, I would have been arrested that year already.
Her legal letter flatly states that Simelane has ‘never owned, controlled or operated QZ Asset Management’, calling the claims of her ownership a complete fabrication.
Caxton Network News sent Viljoen questions about the letter’s contents, but she did not comment.
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Tammy Taylor franchise scandal
Simelane believes Viljoen is weaponising these historical associations to distract from an ongoing dispute regarding the Tammy Taylor South Africa nail salon franchise, which is owned by Viljoen and her husband, Peet.
“Whether I did it or not, that doesn’t change the fact that they owe me,” Simelane said.
Simelane previously told Caxton Network News that she invested R2.8m of her savings into a Tammy Taylor franchise at the upmarket Menlyn Maine centre in Pretoria, but alleges she never even received the keys to the store.
Another alleged victim of the franchise deals, Kabelo ‘Biggie K’ Bokaba, claims to know of roughly 77 people who have allegedly been scammed through Tammy Taylor franchise transactions.
The franchise group is currently facing intense legal pressure.
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During court proceedings last week, on Wednesday, July 8, Adv André Smith, representing the Viljoens, confirmed that Mel Viljoen is currently being investigated in the Tammy Taylor franchise scandal, noting that the Hawks are not permitted to question her without her legal counsel present.
Meanwhile, Peet Viljoen is facing his own legal battles.
He is currently facing 400 criminal charges – including fraud, corruption and forgery – linked to an alleged multi-million-rand municipal property scam dating back to 2010.
His bail hearing is set to resume next Thursday (July 23).
*This article first appeared on Caxton Network News
