Latest news with #LastWord
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Wallow as you watch the ellies at this luxury family villa
Tataum Jackson and Jaco Venter fell in love in the Lowveld. He was from a small farming town in Limpopo. She was from Johannesburg. But their passion for the bush, conservation and hospitality made them a perfect match. Their journey has taken them places from the Kruger National Park to Rwanda, and now to Last Word Madikwe, one of several lodges in the 75,000ha big-five game reserve in the North West. As co-managers, Tataum takes care of front-of-house while Jaco mostly does the behind-the-scenes jobs, which are understandably many in a secluded bush lodge. 'From the beginning of our relationship, we've always lived and worked in the same area or property,' says Tataum. 'So for us it has become the absolute norm. I think if we had to ever work apart that would be strange as we are so used to being together at home and at work. 'We've learnt that we need to make time for us every day — where we don't talk about work. We make a point of doing things together that aren't related to the lodge, like watching a movie or playing board games.' Last Word is a South African company owned by father-and-daughter team Peter Fleck and Nicky Coenen. The boutique collection of five family-owned properties specialises in luxurious, intimate spaces. Madikwe is their latest acquisition (purchased in 2023) and their second safari lodge since opening Last Word Kitara in the Kruger National Park in 2019. One of its most unique drawcards is a rolling green lawn leading down to a large watering hole. Guests can sit on the grass under the trees and watch the animals drink, just metres away (an obscured electric fence in a gully offers the required security). It is a dreamlike Out of Africa experience. The lodge is a special place. Small — six suites in total — with homey, personal attention that adds warmth to the luxury bush experience. With a staff of 23 for 12 guests in the lodge, there is no shortage of personal attention and service. But our invitation was to something different: the lodge's newly opened villa. Once the private home of the previous owners, the expansive thatch-roofed dwelling, secluded and tucked away to the side of the main lodge, has a private plunge pool that overlooks the watering hole. It also has its own entrance to an underground hide, where visitors can spend hours getting up close and personal with the wildlife. The renovated home is a family-friendly option that offers three en-suite bedrooms and a huge lounge/dining area. The bedrooms are spacious, the bathrooms huge and the living area — with its concrete floors, moody dark-grey walls, high thatched ceiling and oversized fireplace — is crammed full of trinkets that give it an opulent but cosy feel. A squatting monkey holds a fruit bowl above his head, piled high with plums, nectarines and other fruit. Next to him, two hippos hold lemons in their wide-open mouths. The large dining table is adorned with gold candles and vases, while a drinks cabinet offers not only an enticing selection of hard tack, but also a menagerie of interesting sculptures and other bric-a-brac, against the backdrop of an exotic wallpaper. In the lounge, board games and books share a coffee table with a bronze pair of pangolins and pots of aloes, under a magnificent arrangement of staggered grass pendants. The villa espouses the core values of the Last Word group: a blend of luxury, homeliness and privacy that even some of the grandest lodges can't emulate. The large kitchen seems superfluous, given that all meals are provided in the main lodge. But Tataum tells me they are exploring the possibility of having a dedicated chef for the villa, which would allow guests to have a more personal and intimate dining experience. In the meantime, the open-plan kitchen is stocked with water, milk, soft drinks and plenty of tea and coffee options. Attention to detail is clearly an important part of the lodge's ethos. Each day we found a small jar of tasty homemade fudge next to our beds. And then there is the pool. DRINKS FOR EVERYONE There are few things more hedonistic than floating in a private pool, cocktail in hand, as you watch a herd of elephants drinking from a waterhole just metres away, against a backdrop of bushveld stretching as far as the eye can see. This is Africa at its best, with both the watchers and the watched imbibing their favourite thirst-quenchers. And the ellies came in droves: males, females, moms, babies, boisterous teens, some stern, others playful, a few grumpy, all mesmerising. There is no shortage of wildlife at Madikwe. There are the big five, of course, and they are fascinating, highly entertaining beasts in their natural habitat. We tracked a pack of African wild dogs (I prefer their alternative name of painted wolves) on a hunting spree. These animals are so much more beautiful in the flesh than in photos. We watched elephants roll in mud, listened to the endearing miaow of two-day-old lion cubs and stalked a reclusive brown hyena. The skies were a highway of avian activity. There were times during our game drives (two a day, at 6am and 4pm) when I just wanted to switch off the engine, sit in silence and listen to the beautiful cacophony of the bush. While we didn't spot any rhinos until the morning of our departure, our ranger Damian Ivan says Madikwe is one of the few reserves that have chosen not to dehorn its rhinos. While he wouldn't say how many the reserve has, for security reasons, he says the population is 'healthy and growing well'. Madikwe and the North West Parks and Tourism Board operate a hi-tech ops room that uses sophisticated technology to combat poaching. We also had some sightings that were unexpected and somewhat less appealing. Breathtaking in a whole different way. One was a Mozambican spitting cobra languishing lazily near the front door of our villa. It was swiftly and expertly captured by staff and later dispatched back into the bush — suitably far away — during our next game drive, with assurances from Damian that the highly poisonous reptile 'really doesn't want to waste his venom on something he can't eat'. Another experience involved what one staff member described as 'an explosion' of an insect that strikes a level of terror in some completely out of proportion. That is the African king cricket — more commonly known in the suburbs of Johannesburg as the notorious Parktown prawn. Like a biblical plague, these bugs descended on the reserve in their thousands. Perhaps it was the heavy rains that had washed them in. I'm not one for bugs — the sight of one of these creatures in my house would prompt intervention on a military scale. But in the bush, and in their magnitude, I soon became almost blase about their presence. Almost. Of course, luxury safaris must come with luxury food, and the meals served up at Madikwe are a modern, relaxed version of fine dining. Dinners offered favourites such as lamb shank, salmon and steak. Lunches were lighter, with the beetroot, butternut and feta salad a most memorable meal. It was served with equally delicious sliders, coleslaw and samosas. Senior chef Neo Selehelo says she has to think on her feet when it comes to keeping five-star guests happy. Sometimes certain ingredients are just not available and she must whip up an equally delicious alternative with the fresh produce she has in her kitchen. She does an amazing job, and I was heartened to learn that the lodge sources all its eggs from a local school a few kilometres away in the village of Supingstad. A FARM IN AFRICA Last Word Madikwe is a new take on an old lodge. Its history goes back to 1916 when a 25-year-old farmer Phillip du Toit arrived on the Wonderboom Farm with his wife. There was no shelter or water, just barren bushveld, and he set about building clay huts (at that time it was believed clay would ward off malaria-carrying mosquitoes). The first house — made from dolomite — was built three years later. But it was only in 1940 that the farmhouse was built. This building is the heart of Madikwe Last Word today. In 1947, Phillip Jr took over the farm, transforming it into one of the best cattle farms in the region. Over the years they bought up neighbouring farms, eventually creating a property of more than 4,000ha on which they farmed citrus and other fruits as well as Brahman and Afrikaner cattle. In 1987, the Bophuthatswana government paid the family out for the farm. It was incorporated into the Madikwe Game Reserve and used as staff accommodation for the North West Parks Board. It only opened as a guesthouse in 1995 and five years later was converted into a commercial lodge. And now it is the hands of Last Word, which has made its name with a portfolio that includes luxury accommodation spaces in Constantia, Franschhoek, Kommetjie and the Kruger National Park. The private villa is an obvious option for families. It is spacious, private, fully stocked and serviced, and allows you to be as attached to the main lodge as you want to be. You get your own pickup point for bespoke game drives, a dedicated ranger, your own pool and direct 24-hour access to the hide. But it's also a great option for group visits. Though one bedroom is billed as a potential children's room, it offers the same accommodation and refinery as the other two rooms, lacking only a view of the pool and watering hole. Its relaxed vibe, roaring fireplace, collection of books and board games make it a safari sanctuary that you'll always remember. GETAWAY AT A GLANCE: GETTING THERE: Madikwe Game Reserve is in the North West province, near the Botswana border. It is a roughly 4.5-hour drive from Johannesburg. Be sure to take the N4 as the alternative route, the R509 through Koster, may seem quicker but is so riddled with potholes that you're unlikely to drive faster than 10km/h. Alternatively, Fedair offers charter flights. See VILLA RATES: R35,000 per night for one to four people; R50,000 per night for five to six. This includes accommodation, three meals a day, tea/coffee, and two game drives per day including refreshments. It excludes beverages at the lodge, transfers, laundry services, gate-entrance fees and conservation levies. MORE INFORMATION: Visit their website. • Smith was a guest of Last Word Madikwe. Image: Last Word
Egypt Independent
18-07-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
Lamees al-Hadidy departs United Media Services
United Media Services (UMS) announced yesterday that its contract with prominent journalist and TV presenter Lamees al- Hadidy has concluded. In a statement, UMS said: 'After a journey spanning five consecutive years, United Media Services and Lamees al-Hadidy have mutually agreed not to renew the contract for the upcoming period.' The statement added: 'The company wishes Lamees al-Hadidy continued success, advancement, and prosperity.' Al-Hadidy responded to the UMS announcement in her first public comment on the termination of her contract for the program 'Kalema Akheera' (Last Word) on the ON channel. On her official X (formerly Twitter) account, she wrote: 'I conclude years of work with UMS, proud of the professional work I presented, through which I tried—to the best of my ability—to offer what befits the Egyptian audience. I thank the wonderful team that accompanied me throughout my long journalistic career across various screens. I thank my great audience—those who agreed with me and those who disagreed—for their support, love, assistance, and also their criticism. For you, we work; from you, we learn; and with you, we continue. And to a new journalistic and media experience soon.' Born in Cairo on November 8, 1969, Al-Hadidy earned her degree in Economics and Political Science from the American University in Cairo. She further specialized in her field by earning a Master's degree in Television Journalism. Al-Hadidy's extensive career in media began in 1987 at the American network NBC. She then spent three years as a correspondent for the New York Times channel. Her international experience continued with a tenure at MBC from 1994 to 1999, followed by CNBC from 1995 to 2009. Transitioning into print media, she took on the role of Editor-in-Chief for Al-Alam Al-Youm, an economic newspaper. Throughout her career on Egyptian television, al-Hadidy hosted a variety of programs, including 'Etkallem,' 'Mane' wa Mamnou',' 'El Ekhteyar El As'ab,' 'Min Qalb Masr,' and 'Feesh wa Tashbeeh.' Following the January 25th Revolution in 2011, she joined the CBC network, where she hosted 'Nuss El Haqeeqa' (Half the Truth) before leading the daily program 'Hona El Assema' (Here is the Capital). A testament to her impactful journalistic journey, al-Hadidy has interviewed numerous globally significant figures. Among the most prominent personalities she has hosted are Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Khaled Meshaal, and Magdi Yacoub.
The Hill
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Lawrence O'Donnell calls for Mike Lee staff resignations over Minnesota suspect post
MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell called for staff members serving for Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to resign following comments he made on social media blaming Democrats for the fatal shooting of a state lawmaker in Minnesota over the weekend. 'Senator Mike Lee's staff now live in the disgrace he has visited upon them, and they all have a moral choice in front of them now,' O'Donnell said late Monday on his nightly show. 'Mike Lee purports to be a man of great religiosity, but he is obviously not a man of great morality or great decency, and his staff has to decide tonight what to do about the disgrace he has handed them,' the 'Last Word' host added. Lee angered many Democrats over the weekend when he responded to news of the assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband Mark by writing on social platform X, 'This is what happens When Marxists don't get their way.' He followed up with a separate post including a photo of a masked man dressed up as a police officer and a headshot of suspected shooter Vance Boelter with the text 'Nightmare on Waltz Street,' an apparent reference to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). Boelter, 57, was also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman (D), and his wife at their home. The duo has undergone surgeries and are expected to survive. The suspect was apprehended on Sunday and faces state and federal stalking and murder charges. The Utah Republican was confronted about the posts in the Capitol by Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who told reporters she wanted the Republican to hear from her 'about how painful that was and how brutal that was to see that on what was just a horrible, brutal weekend.' O'Donnell argued that staffers for Lee should respond to the episode by resigning. 'Minimal Senate decency demands the resignation of any staff member who does not fully support Mike Lee's despicable tweets,' the cable news host said. 'You have your own choice to make. If you agree with Mike Lee's choice to make jokes about assassination of a Democratic officeholder in Minnesota, if you agree with that, then stay with Mike Lee, stick with Mike Lee, stick with him all the way,' he added. 'But if you do have decency, you know you only have one choice.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawrence O'Donnell Mocks Trump for Backtracking Promise to Deport 15 Million: ‘Slowest and Stupidest President in History'
Lawrence O'Donnell celebrated President Donald Trump walking back his campaign promise to deport 15 million illegal immigrants from the United States. 'The central lie of Donald Trump's deportation campaign promise came apart today,' O'Donnell announced. He pointed to a post Trump made on Truth Social Thursday morning, in which the president noted the concerns of farmers and hotel corporations throughout the country who want to keep their hard-working immigrant employees and wrote, 'We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA.' 'Donald Trump promised to deport every one of those people working on farms. Every one of them. He promised to deport all of them, and then he decided not to deport them today,' the 'Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' host explained on Thursday night's episode. 'He's not going to deport 15 million people. He's not going to deport a million people. It's over. The mass deportation lie that he never could have done anyway is over. Donald Trump formally, publicly gave up today.' You can watch the full 'Last Word' segment yourself in the video below. In response to a clip of Trump saying that America cannot take away farmers' most hard-working employees, O'Donnell said, 'He was doing it to the farmers!' The MSNBC anchor continued, 'What everyone has been saying for years and years and years in defense of those people who Donald Trump was calling murderers and rapists, everything we've been saying, I guess, has finally sunk in with Donald Trump, the slowest and stupidest president in history.' 'Maybe they don't have what they're supposed to have in legal documentation to be here,' O'Donnell said of the immigrants Trump has been targeting since he retook office in January. 'Donald Trump doesn't care about any of that anymore. The stupidest man in the room finally realizes the Democrats are completely right about this, and always have been.' Unfortunately, O'Donnell noted that Trump's immigration surrender was overshadowed Thursday by California Senator Alex Padilla's forced removal from a press conference with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. 'What Donald Trump said today is not going to make one person in this country feel safer tomorrow,' O'Donnell lamented. 'They won't feel safer because they've all seen what happened to a United States senator today.' 'We are all Alex Padilla tonight,' O'Donnell concluded. 'Any one of us could be the next one on the floor in handcuffs, in the ragingly thuggish, unconstitutional government now run by the stupidest, most dangerous president this country has ever had to endure.' You can watch the full 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' episode in the video above. The post Lawrence O'Donnell Mocks Trump for Backtracking Promise to Deport 15 Million: 'Slowest and Stupidest President in History' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Egypt Independent
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Degwy family lawyer reveals details of the fortune distribution
The legal representative for Nawal al-Degwy and her two granddaughters, Mohamed Shehata, revealed the fate of the shares between the heirs of Sherif al-Degwy's sons and Mona al-Degwy's daughters such the ownership structure of the companies and institutions under dispute. During a telephone interview with TV host Lamis al-Hadidi on the 'Last Word' (Kalema Akhera) TV show, Shehata said, 'This issue has more than one aspect.' 'Discussing the estate of a living person is a sensitive matter, but the settlement currently underway, sponsored by Nawal el-Degwy, to reunite the family, is still being discussed between institutions and companies and is the subject of negotiations,' Shehata said, adding 'I am optimistic that we will reach a quick solution to this issue.' In response to Al-Hadidi's question: 'Has the late Mona al-Degwy's will actually been opened in the past few days?' Shehata replied: 'Indeed, that happened. A year before her passing, the late Mona al-Degwy had deposited a sealed will at the Real Estate Registry. It was opened and reviewed a few days ago.' He continued: 'In it, she bequeathed a third of her entire estate to her two daughters, Engy and Mahy. I was appointed by the deceased to be the executor of that will.' In response to al-Hadidi's question: 'Is the third she bequeathed outside the (Islamic) legal inheritance?' Shehata said: 'Yes, the third does not include the (Islamic) legal inheritance. Egyptian law allows for a bequest to an heir, as Nawal al-Degwy will inherit one-sixth (from her daughter Mona's estate), and her two daughters will have a share outside the will. The remaining percentage will be distributed among the males of the family, who are Ahmed al-Degwy's heirs: Amr al-Degwy and Mohamed.' Shehata continued: 'Egyptian law also stipulates that the implementation of wills and inheritance begins with the payment of all debts owed by the deceased. Then the will is given, which may not, under any circumstances, exceed one-third, as Mona al-Degwy did. Then, the remainder of the estate after the one-third allocated by the will is distributed according to the legal shares among the grandmother, the two granddaughters, and the grandsons.' Hadidi interrupted him, asking, 'Have you taken stock of this inheritance or what she has left behind?' Shehata replied, 'The inventory process is underway, and it will be part of the comprehensive settlement of all disputes, because we are eager to ensure that no blemish remains in this family.'
