Entertainment

Meet Van Der Merwe, Gorgeous Bikini Model Who Sliced $16m from Ex-Lebanese Leader

Published

6 years ago

November 8, 2019

Eric

Her name is Candice Van der Merwe, a South African extremely gorgeous bikini whose sexy looks captivated the immediate Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri into parting with a whooping $16 million.

Hariri gave more than $16 million to the South African bikini model who said they had a romantic relationship after they met at a luxury resort in the Seychelles, according to South African court documents obtained by The New York Times.

The prime minister, Saad Hariri, was not in office when he sent the money starting in 2013, and the transfer does not appear to have violated any Lebanese or South African laws.

But the revelation in a South African court case this year of the extravagant gifts to a younger model comes during a difficult period for Mr. Hariri, the top Sunni Muslim politician in Lebanon and an American ally.

His business and political empires have fallen on hard times, depriving many employees of their pay. His family’s construction conglomerate, Saudi Oger, ceased operations in 2017, and his media outlets have struggled to pay salaries.

The gifts have no clear tie to Lebanon’s current economic woes and Mr. Hariri, a married father of three, was sufficiently wealthy to have made the payments himself. Forbes magazine estimated his net worth in 2013 at $1.9 billion, thanks largely to business interests he inherited after his father, Rafik Hariri, who also served as prime minister, was assassinated in Beirut in 2005.

Ms. van der Merwe said she had been recruited at age 19 to travel to an exclusive resort in the Seychelles Islands called The Plantation Club that was “frequented by some of the richest private individuals in the world,” including billionaires “for whom money is no object.”

At this “playground of the super wealthy,” she said, “it is the norm for lavish parties and events to be held” and models were flown in “to lend a sense of glamour and exclusivity.” The models’ passports were taken when they arrived and they were forbidden from taking photos.

Ms. van der Merwe spent four days at the resort in 2012, she said, and connected with people she met because of her “healthy lifestyle” and other qualities.

“I have also been told that I have a very engaging personality,” she said.

Other trips followed. On her first two, she flew economy class. Later, she was upgraded to first or business class.

During a trip in March 2013, she said, she told friends that her “dream car” was the Audi R8. After she returned home, she had an accident that totaled her car and cracked her cellphone screen.

A car dealer soon called her to pick up a new Audi R8 Spyder, which had been paid for and registered in her name. She also received two new cellphones, including one with international roaming, and a Land Rover Evoque.

The two vehicles were worth more than $250,000, a sum that was added to her tax bill. Her lawyers wrote in 2015 that they were gifts from the same “extremely well-to-do Middle Eastern gentleman” who sent her the money.

When government investigators asked about the $15 million transfer, a bank official said that “the sender and beneficiary are boyfriend/girlfriend and are currently together in the Seychelles.”

Ms. van der Merwe bought properties worth more than $10 million, including a house in Cape Town’s upscale Fresnaye neighborhood with an outdoor swimming pool and commanding ocean views. She also lent $2.7 million to a real estate company her father was involved with and made other transactions, leaving $537,000 in her account, she said.

The tax authorities considered her claim that the money was a gift implausible and suspected the funds had been for her father, Gary van der Merwe, a businessman who had fought repeated court battles with the tax authorities over his own business dealings. The authorities levied income tax on the sum, froze Ms. van der Merwe’s assets and appointed a curator to oversee them until the matter was settled.

So Mr. Hariri stepped in again, sending Ms. van der Merwe an additional $1 million to help cover her legal and living expenses, according to court documents.

Hariri resigned from office late October following two weeks of intensive protests against his government over corruption matters.

Entertainment

Tiwa Savage Launches Music Foundation in Lagos

Published

7 days ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Nigerian Afrobeats star, Tiwa Savage, has unveiled a new initiative aimed at nurturing emerging African creatives, announcing the launch of the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation and a landmark partnership that will bring the prestigious Berklee College of Music to Lagos for the first time.

The 46-year-old singer announced on her social media platform on Wednesday, declaring, “After years of building globally… It’s time to build at home.”

She introduced Tiwa Savage Music Foundation as “a new initiative dedicated to empowering emerging African creatives through access, mentorship and world-class music education,” adding that, “For the first time ever, Berklee comes to Lagos with the Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme empowering Africa’s next generation of talent.”

Berklee College of Music, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is the world’s largest independent college of contemporary music, renowned for its programmes in jazz, modern American music, and a broad range of genres including rock, hip hop, reggae and more.

In an interview with CNN, the “Ma Lo” singer explained that while Afrobeats has gained global prominence, the industry requires more structural support to remain sustainable.

“Afrobeats has captured the world’s attention, but attention alone is not enough to sustain an industry. Talent is universal — but access is not,” she said.

According to CNN, the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation is designed to bridge that access gap.

Beyond supporting vocalists and performers, the foundation will also focus on producers, composers, sound engineers and music business professionals — areas Savage considers critical to building a durable creative economy across Africa.

The foundation’s first major project, tagged Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme, will see Berklee faculty travel to Lagos from April 23 to 26, 2026, to host a fully funded four-day training for 100 emerging Nigerian music creators.

The programme marks Berklee’s first-ever event in West Africa.

Savage underscored the impact of short, focused training, saying, “You’d be surprised how much you can learn in four days. It gives you a taste of what’s possible and exposes you to parts of music you may not even realise you’re drawn to.”

With the launch of the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation and the forthcoming intensive programme in Lagos, the award-winning singer is now seeking to extend that same opportunity to the next generation — shifting from building global acclaim to building sustainable structures at home.

Entertainment

Spider-Man Voice Actor Alexis Ortega Dies at 38

Published

1 month ago

January 30, 2026

Eric

Mexican voice actor of Spider-Man, Alexis Ortega, has died at 38, according to a report by World Dubbing News.

The platform said: “We regret to announce the sensitive passing of voice actor Alexis Ortega, we send our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues in this difficult time.”

The cause of death was not disclosed at the time of the announcement.

Alexis Ortega was born in Mexico in 1987 and began his career in 2013 as an onscreen actor and voice performer. He later became widely known for dubbing Tom Holland’s roles in Spanish for several Marvel films, including Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

He also worked on multiple Disney projects, providing Spanish dubbing for films such as Big Hero 6 and Star Wars: Rogue One.

Following confirmation of Alexis Ortega’s death, fans took to social media to share tributes and memories of his work.

“Sad news. Way too young at 38. Rest in peace, Alexis,” user Ilman posted on X.

“Such sad news Alexis Ortega brought Spider-Man to life for so many fans. Rest in peace,” Rechardo wrote.

“It’s truly a loss when a talented voice brings so much life to a character we love. Alexis Ortega’s legacy will surely live on through his iconic performances,” Victor shared.

“Lives on for the rest of time with these movies for the world to know him,” Bunsan added.

Beyond voice work, Ortega appeared on screen in shows including Luis Miguel: The Series, Thursday’s Widows, El Candidato, and The House of Flowers. He also collaborated with Mr Beast, dubbing Spanish versions of the YouTuber’s videos.

Ortega’s final Instagram post, shared in November last year, showed him sitting on a couch with his dog at his home in Mexico City. He captioned the photo, ‘My doggo.’

Entertainment

Court Sends Actress Angela Okorie to Prison for Alleged Cyber-Stalking

Published

1 month ago

January 29, 2026

Eric

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of actress, Angela Okorie in the Suleja prison in Niger State following her arraignment on charges of criminal defamation and cyberstalking.

Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order on Wednesday while ruling on an oral bail application made by Okorie’s lawyer, Alex Ejesieme (SAN) shortly after his client pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge brought against her by the police.

Justice Nwite ordered that the mother of one be kept in the prison until January 30 when her bail application would be heard.

Okorie of 1 Henry Montero Street, Lekki Palm City, Ajah, Lagos is alleged, in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/278/2025 to have conspired with Ifeoma Mbonu (now at large) to commit cyberstalking and defamation by calling a fellow actress, Mercy Johnson Okojie a blood sucking demon in their posts on their social media platforms of Instagram and Tiktok.

The police said the offences, allegedly committed in 2024, violated the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention, Etc) Act of 2015.

After Okorie pleaded to the charge, prosecuting lawyer, Victor Okoye urged the court to remand the defendant in Suleja prison and fix a date for the prosecution to open its case.

Ejesieme objected to Okoye’s application, claiming that his client was not afforded adequate time and opportunity to prepare for her defence.

The defence lawyer said even though the prosecution filed the charge since July 2025, it only handed a copy to the defendant about an hour before the commencement of proceedings.

He claimed that his client was never informed about the case in court but only arrested her in Lagos the previous day and brought her to Abuja for arraignment. He also claimed that the police denied him access to her for proper briefing.

Ejesieme prayed the court to allow his client to continue to enjoy the administrative bail earlier granted him by the police.

In the alternative, Ejesieme urged the court to release the defendant to him to enable her make provision for her child that has been left alone in Lagos and for her to also file a formal bail application.

The defence lawyer said his client was a single mother of one, who was not afforded time to make adequate arrangement for her child before being brought to Abuja from Lagos.

Responding, Okoye faulted Ejesieme’s arguments. He argued that the administrative bail granted the defendant has since expired upon her arraignment.

Okoye accused Angela of jumping bail and failing to honour invitations sent to her to report to the police headquarters in Abuja in respect of the case.

The prosecuting lawyer urged the court to order the defendant to file a formal bail application to enable the prosecution exhibit necessary documents in support of its position that the defendant jumped the administrative bail granted her and also failed to honour past invitations sent to her.

Ruling, Justice Nwite confirmed that the police actually sent an invitation to the defendant on January 16 to report at the headquarters in relation to the case.

The judge however faulted the police for denying the defendant access to her lawyers before the court’s proceedings.

He ordered parties to file and exchange all necessary documents in relation to the formal bail application to be filed by the defendant within 24 hours.

Justice Nwite also ordered that the defendant be remanded in Suleja prison and to be produced on January 30 for the hearing of her bail application.

Okorie’s case stemmed from a petition by Mercy Johnson Okojie’s lawyer, in which sundry allegations were made against her and Ifeoma.

Part of the petition, dated Mary 14, 2025 read: “Most alarmingly, in a recent criminal and defamatory publication, Angela Okorie published the following statement via her Instagram page @ realagelaokorie:

‘Blood sucking demon no see blood suck again, E say na slimming tea. Except there’s no God, MJ go and beg people you chop their destinies and destroyed their hornes else no peace for the wicked!!! Gospel songs won’t save you. Your heart Is Dark!!!’

“This malicious statement, clearly targeted at our client, was published with the intent to cause irreparable reputational injury, incite hatred, provoke unrest among the public and further harass and emotionally traumatize our client.

“The tone, content, and framing of the publication aim to portray our client as a destructive person, despite her widely known public image as a humanitarian and devout Christian mother.

“The principal suspect, Angela Okorie, has demonstrated a relentless and calculated effort to incite public hatred and threaten public peace by repeatedly using her social media platform for criminal intimidation, false accusations, and criminal defamation.

“She has become the most aggressive and persistent in this malicious campaign.”