News24 | HELLO WEEKEND | Lee-Roy Wright leaps back into TV presenting 9 years after trying a new career path

The latest edition of News24’s weekly digital weekend magazine is stuffed full of interviews, reviews, excerpts, and in-depth stories. Enjoy the read.

‘I’ve still got it’: Lee-Roy Wright’s irresistible pull back to the spotlight

By: Kaunda Selisho

For several South Africans, television presenters were a significant part of their daily viewing experience. TV viewers built parasocial relationships with these people who were effectively celebrities and influencers long before social media took the shape it has today. 

Lee-Roy Wright worked on e.tv’s kid’s programming block Craz-e in the early 2010s and hosted one of the shows called Frenzy at a time when the Craz-e family counted presenters like Pearl Modiadie, Gillian Hughes, Babalwa Rasane, Kriya Gangiah, Morena Sefatsa, and Zola Hashatsi among its ranks. He joined e.tv after starting his television career at SABC 2 shortly after graduating high school.  The Muir College Boys’ High School alum from Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape matriculated in 2006 and was known for his gigantic smile and inviting aura. 

My unforgettable babymoon at Limpopo’s luxurious hidden gem, the Mmakuba Private Game Lodge

By: Keitumetse Maako

Pregnancy is cute in its earlier stages, but once the third trimester hits and you not only get heavier more rapidly but begin to waddle more than you walk, it becomes less and less adorable as you countdown to the arrival of your bundle of joy. So, you can imagine my excitement when I was invited to break away from the bustling city with a group of select media and influencers to experience the recently reopened Mmakuba Private Game Lodge, nestled in the heart of Limpopo’s picturesque Waterberg region.

And if you didn’t already know, surprise – and buckle up as I look back at the bumps, both on the road and in my tummy, during my unforgettable two-night stay at the leafy 600-hectare gem, just over two hours away from Sandton. Having last been in Limpopo at the beginning of December last year, nothing much about the drive to the lodge stood out until I stopped having network. At that point, I was very curious about how much longer we would be on the road.

The Bear stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Lionel Boyce on S3’s culinary catharsis and delectable drama

By: Caryn Welby-Solomon

The Bear seems to have come out of nowhere. Suddenly, the stars were everywhere, everyone was talking about it, and it raked in awards. As a viewer, you had to either jump on the bandwagon or be left behind. For me, it was one of the most original and profound series I had seen in recent years, especially in how it deals with the underbelly of the service industry and the trauma of family.

Now in its third season (currently streaming on Disney+), The Bear has become more intimate as the restaurant has become a fine-dining establishment. There is still chaos and drama, but now it’s more focused on Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) non-negotiables that he believes will make the restaurant excellent.  

In conversation with Hannes Myburgh of Meerlust: On super seconds and the art of applauding

By: Daléne Fourie

Did you know a claque is an organised body of professional applauders in France? Hired for fashion shows, theatre shows, and opera, members of a claque are called claqueurs. *Thus, not the high-heeled harpies Anne Hathaway imagines in The Devil Wears Prada.

Hannes Myburgh was a claqueur when he lived in Paris in 1978; among many other part-time jobs (barman at the embassy, courier), he was also employed to applaud at fashion shows. Taste-making even then because the ladies at these shows would shop according to the enthusiasm of the applause per look. With his natural good taste, Hannes proved to be a sound barometer for the aspiring Parisian fashionistas. It is fitting that he has sold Meerlust Estate wines in all the major wine capitals of the world since 1994, something he says he’s always enjoyed because he believes he’s really doing them a favour. Introducing them to the wines of Meerlust. 

REVIEWS | Two SA novels bring mystery into the home and among friends

By: Pat Schwartz and Theresa de Necker Six friends, two car crashes, and one death are the subject of this gripping novel set in some of Cape Town’s wealthiest suburbs – Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Llandudno, and Constantia.

It should have been a fun night – three couples celebrating Franky and Nick’s fifth anniversary. Old friends enjoying a good meal in an elegant restaurant in Bree Street, moving on to a club, drinking a little too much. But it didn’t work out that way. The night to remember becomes one they would all like to forget. 

Top tips for a road trip to Namibia in a new Toyota Hilux GR-Sport III

By: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

We have some of the most picturesque, diverse and unique landscapes in Southern Africa. Sometimes, we think we must catch a plane to another country to explore something different, while there is so much to experience in South and Southern Africa. 

Heading for an extended road trip is one of the best ways to explore, as you can see how the landscape changes every kilometre. I’ve been to Namibia many times before, but this was the first time we went as a family. That changes several things, and the level of preparation that goes into such a drive is slightly higher than when you are on your own. Here are a few pointers.

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