The R58 million LOTTO jackpot that was won on Saturday 12 May went to a Cape Town woman who is in her mid-50s.

The winner said that she is a regular PowerBall player but seldom plays the LOTTO. She decided to play when she saw the high amount of the estimated jackpot prize. Discovering that she was in fact the jackpot winner however, happened quite gradually. She tells her story:
“After seeing the estimated jackpot prize, I started daydreaming about how this could change my life and make it even better. On Saturday, my husband and I decided to go out for dinner. On our way to the restaurant, I insisted to my husband that we stop at a retail store where I could play the LOTTO, which I did. I put my ticket away quickly after playing and forgot about it for the evening” said the Winner.

“The next day, my children had arranged a special mother’s day celebration and we were all going to meet at my daughter’s house. On my way to my daughter’s house, I decided to check the ticket at a retail store because I had seen on the National Lottery website that one person had won the lottery jackpot. When I inserted my ticket in the machine to check if I had won anything, the machine issued a little slip with a note that read: ‘Please contact the National Lottery head office.’ I went to the cashiers to ask them if they could give me more details, and they suggested that I go to the Post Office.

When I arrived at my daughter’s house where all my children and husband were gathered, I asked my son to check my ticket. After checking this, my son immediately told me to write my name and ID number at the back of the ticket because I had matched all 6 numbers. My body just went numb, I was in total disbelief. All I could do was drink my gin!

I am fortunate that I already have a comfortable life. I will continue working for the next 6 months or so just so the hand over process at work is smooth. This will also give me enough time to carefully think about how I will spend my money. Ideally, I would like to invest 90% of my winnings and live off of my investments for the rest of my life. I’m grateful that I got my early retirement.”

The National Lottery recently ran a national competition on Metro FM to celebrate their 18th birthday. The Freedom to Phanda competition gave listeners an opportunity to win a massive R100 000 instantly. One of the winners, 26 year old Nkululeko Motha was in disbelief when he won the prize over his hopeful opponent.

“The competition rules were clear and we were both given a chance to ask clue questions. When it was evident that my opponent had given the wrong answer, I knew my prayers had been answered and I just went for it—that R100 000 was mine!” said Nkululeko.

Nkululeko holds a Diploma in Entrepreneurship from the University of Johannesburg, and lives with both his parents and siblings. “I want to do so much for my family but my means have always been limited, this money will make a huge difference in our lives.”
He intends on using some of the money to develop his fast-food business that he runs from home. “Expanding the business will result in more income, which I hope to use to help my brothers through school. My younger brother has had to take a gap year this year due to a lack of funds for tertiary education. He had applied for a student loan which he was strongly relying on, but did not succeed.”

Also top of his to do list, is to pay off his mother’s clothing account debt and to fix his father’s bakkie. Nkululeko is one of the 18 winners who each won the R100 000 prize. Other winners are: Jannie Vyner, Joseph Mohale, Ngwako Ramorei, Elizabeth Jantjie, Peter Pule, Sixolile Gatya, Julia Matsepa, Winnie Digomo, Lebohang Lebona, Pretty Jele, Juliet Masombuka, Pheeha Masemola and Kabelo Maluleke. The other 4 winners, who opted not to be named, were beyond excited to win the cash prize, each proclaiming it will go a long way in helping them better their lives.

Contestants who did not win the competition need not despair. The National Lottery has launched a #Liveitup PowerBall Style Competition which gives participants an opportunity to win weekly all-inclusive luxury prizes, such as a trip for two to Cape Town, a trip to for two to an international grand prix, a trip for two to the Serengeti, a trip for two to Dubai including a shopping experience, and the grand prize: a trip for 4 to a private island. The competition closes on 16 June 2018. More details on the competition can be found here: https://www.nationallottery.co.za/live-it-up/

Players must be 18 years and older. All players are encouraged to play responsibly.

For millions of unemployed South Africans, R4 million can really go a long way for them and their families. With this amount of money, dreams of owning and living in a decent home; accessing basic quality education for their children; building a family business to sustain the family for generations to come—are all dreams that can come true.

This is now the reality of a 36 year-old Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) man who recently won a PowerBall PLUS jackpot in March, walking away with over R4, 5 million! When the man visited ITHUBA’s regional offices in KZN to claim his prize, he was ecstatic and in disbelief that he can finally honour his financial responsibility as the head of his family.

“When I discovered that I was the winner, I wrote my name at the back of the ticket as soon as possible and I kept it safe in my wallet, until I could claim my prize. All I could think about was the positive impact this win will have on my family life, I can finally take care of them better.” – jackpot winner (Translated from isiZulu)

Asked if he was planning to make extravagant changes in his life, the winner said no. “I have always been a careful spender. I intend to remain disciplined with my money, to only spend on the necessities of my family and ensuring that we remain financially stable. I do not want to tell a lot of people about my jackpot prize, I only told my best friend about it because I trust him very much and I know he will not try to exploit me”, he said.

The winner bought his Powerball PLUS ticket for R15 at a shop in Umhlanga, KZN. “I have always had faith that one day I would win either the LOTTO or PowerBall jackpot. I have always made sure that I tick the PowerBall or LOTTO PLUS options, because through these options players get a second chance to win. That one tick on the PowerBall PLUS made all the difference for me this time because it’s through this option that I won”, said the jackpot winner.

While there is no claim that this jackpot prize, or others like it, completely eliminate unemployment and poverty in South Africa, it is notable that an entire family has received financial relief in a big way. In addition, many South African communities continue to benefit from the National Lottery though the participation of the citizens, because for every ticket bought, a portion of the sale goes towards a worthy cause that supports and develops communities in South Africa.

Players must be 18 years and older. All players are encouraged to play responsibly.

A modest R30 Quick Pick ticket to open doors to tranquillity for one of Gauteng moms and day-care centre principal.

Johannesburg, Gauteng, April, 2018 – The thought of winning the jackpot alone is enough to give anyone goosebumps — to think that all your dreams could simply come true in a flash. The actual winning though, is a momentous event that fills the winner with many positive emotions all at once. The latest Powerball jackpot winner experienced this first hand when she realised that she was the single winner of a whopping R36 million earlier in April.
“I could not believe what my son was telling me. He is the one that checked the numbers on TV and he literally fell on his knees, screaming: ‘We won!’” – Jackpot winner (Translated from SeSotho)

Even though the winner has been a loyal LOTTO player for some time now, she says that ever since she heard about the Quick Pick playing method on the radio, it has been her preferred playing method; and it is through this method that she has won the jackpot. She joins approximately 60 other winners who have struck it lucky with the Quick Pick selection in 2018 so far.

The winner is a day-care principal and also owns a small business within her community in Gauteng. In addition to that, she has been involved in numerous community uplifting projects for many years. Besides taking in the magnitude of her R36 million win, our winner is simply looking at this amazing prize as an opportunity to continue to further help those in need.
“Having worked on community projects that have been sustained by donations for many years, I know how good it feels to be on the receiving end. Now that I am a jackpot winner, I want to be on the giving side, and help those in need.”

During the financial advice session, which ITHUBA offers to all jackpot game winners free of charge, the winner said that she seeks nothing more than to have a comfortable home in tranquil surroundings. Besides continuing with her personal empowerment initiatives, she plans to relax, entertain friends and family and enjoy the peace of mind that we all seek through financial stability. In the end, she said that she was happy that she decided to spend a bit of her money to take a chance on this life-changing game.

“I would like to encourage South Africans to really keep playing PowerBall and the LOTTO because I have seen it with my own eyes that winning is possible. I only spent R30 on my ticket and in turn won millions.”, she said in a voice filled with gratitude.
We congratulate the new winner and wish all players the best of luck as they to continue to Phanda, Pusha, Play. Players must be 18 years and older. Play responsibly.