Pictures: Instagram
South Africa’s most-talked about reality television villains have been making headlines this week, and not for their catty remarks about their fellow ‘Die Real Housewives van Pretoria’ stars.
The Tammy Taylor South Africa owners, Mel and Peet Viljoen are seeing red after the investigative journalism television series Carte Blanche placed their ‘dodgy business dealings’ in the spotlight once again on Sunday, 30 October.
In an interview with a South African online publication on Wednesday, Tammy Taylor SA CEO, Peet Viljoen, said he is suing Carte Blanche’s presenter Masa Kekana for R20 million for defamation of character, as well as Patent attorney Karel Bredenkamp whom Kekana interviewed during the segment.
During the interview Bredenkamp explained how Mel and Peet are infringing on the Tammy Taylor Inc trademark, saying that what the business owners are doing are not legal.
ALSO SEE: Tammy Taylor Nails told to stop using name as US company launches ‘brutal takeover’
Peet, however, stuck to his guns on Wednesday, saying that him and his wife are not doing anything illegal and that there is no trademark infringement on their side because they redesigned the logo and the name, and still use the same manufacture company as Tammy Taylor US for their Tammy Taylor Nail products in SA.
Viljoen also claimed that Tammy Taylor is actually the one who is infringing on their trademarks.
“A franchise is a bunch of intellectual property… The trademark on the name is one thing, but we have also trademarked the words, work that she is infringing on and that we registered here and in America so she’s also infringing our trademarks,” he told the publication.
Defending himself and his wife in the interview, Peet said the investigative television show didn’t speak to any of their recent franchisees and that none of the people Carte Blanche spoke to are newer than four years.
However, the business woman Kekana interviewed for Sunday’s segment on Carte Blanche bought the Tammy Taylor Menlyn store in July 2021 for R2.8 million cash.
Happy Simelane spoke to Kekana about her sour business venture with the Real Housewives van Pretoria couple, where she revealed that she believes even the financials for the business are dodgy.
Simelane says she signed a hand-over document stipulating that the store will be handed over to her on 1 September 2021, but as the company was never registered in her name, it was difficult for her to open a bank account.
One paragraph in the document Simelane signed stipulates that: “Should the rental be in arrears for more than 60 days while the lease agreement is in the name of Tammy Taylor Nails Head Office (Melany Viljoen) the salon may be reclaimed by Tammy Taylor Nails head office without any refund.
ALSO SEE: Tammy Taylor Nails: Did the Viljoens scam South African franchisees?
Simelane says she was never given access to the bank account for the business she bought, nor did she have a key to her store (which she paid for in hard cash). This means that all the stores earnings were going into a bank account controlled by head office. However, Simelane was responsible for all salon expenses from 1 September. So, the six weeks delay in transferring the business into her name meant she couldn’t control what was being spent.
On 22 October 2021 the Viljoen’s sent Simelane a letter of demand for over R152 000 for rental arrears for the months of September and October. This meant that she was now in breach of the handover agreement she signed and that the Viljoen’s could reclaim the store.
In a written response regarding the above to Carte Blanche, Mel Viljoen said that they didn’t do or take anything that Simelane did not agree to in writing adding that Simelane did not honour her agreement with the brand and that she was given ample opportunity to remedy her breach.
In leaked voice recordings sent to Carte Blanche from an anonymous source, Peet can be heard saying that he has never paid a licence refund for a franchise.
Speaking to someone called Lorraine, Peet explains how they ‘slip’ in the “no-refund” clause into their agreements telling Loraine that is the ‘sh*t that the dumb people don’t understand’.
Carte Blanche’s executive producer John Webb told Netwerk24 on Wednesday, that Carte Blanche rejects the allegations made publicly by the Viljoen’s and that it stands by its reporting.
*Compiled by Xanet Scheepers
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