Although he hopes to return to SA soon, disbarred lawyer and alleged shoplifter Peet Viljoen has refused to apologise for remarks he has made about black South Africans, reports News24.

After relocating to the US in May last year, Viljoen frequently posted on social media targeting black people.

Before he was himself arrested for shoplifting in the US in March, he said, among other things: ‘Not all black people steal … but all the people who steal are black.’

When a black social media user responded to his comments, he replied: ‘I don’t speak baboon anymore.’

On another occasion, he said he had ‘no doubt’ that he is a racist who hates black people.

News24’s sister publication Rapport questioned Peet and his wife, Mel, in a joint telephone interview last week about these remarks, as well as their legal troubles in SA, including a default judgment of about R14.1m against Peet for outstanding income tax.

Referring to the view of Dr Llewelyn Curlewis, deputy chair of the LPC, that he is now persona non grata in SA because of his racist remarks on social media, Peet said he stood by his statements.

‘Everything I said is true. If I said black people steal, it’s what I’ve seen in the news. Every black man who, for example, commits murder, I see in the media,’ he said.

‘Yes, true,’ Mel agreed.

Despite his view of SA and his admission he had been mistaken about the Trump administration, Peet hopes to be back in the country soon, like Mel.

He is currently being held in California and is due to appear before an immigration judge again on 4 June 2026.

Full News24 report