US-born business mogul Tammy Taylor has accused Real Housewives van Pretoria star Melany and her husband Peet Viljoen of stealing his nail salon business.
The Viljoens have been having a back-and-forth with the businesswoman for years over the legality of the luxury nail salon group Tammy Taylor operations in South Africa.
Nail salon group at centre of dispute
Taylor has accused the reality TV star and her husband of illegally using her name. She also accuses them of counterfeiting her products and forging her signature on legal documents.
“They are also being deceptive by using my name, my logos, my trademarks. Also my copyrights on all their social media platforms,” she said in a video. The video was posted on her Tik-Tok account.
Bullied, threatened by couple
Taylor added that she has been threatened, harassed and stalked by the couple.
“I will not be a victim of Melany and Peet Viljoen abuse anymore. I will speak out,” she added.
The video has been pinned on her social media page and garnered over 1,2 million views by Tuesday morning. It came as no surprise following various reports about the Viljoens’ ownership of the brand in South Africa.
The franchisees has lodged complaints about not receiving their franchise and being forced to shut down their stores. This after a bridge of promises on the Viljoens’ side. It emerged that the couple was operating the South African salons without permission from the owner.
Last year, Taylor reportedly sent the couple letters through her lawyer James McQueen. She requested that they stop using the Tammy Taylor name. This because they are no longer the licensee or distributor of her products, she said.
Couple denies claims
The couple responded by stating that they are the rightful creators of the Tammy Taylor franchise. They accused Taylor of trying to hijack the empire they built in South Africa.
They also accused the businesswoman of being spiteful and panicking. This because Melany was due to appear as cast of the Real Housewives of Hollywood. They claimed she feared that Melany might talk about her on the show.
