Mystery punter wins R114m with R5 lottery ticket

AN UNKNOWN person from Roodepoort, west of Joburg, is R114 million richer after spending just R5 on a winning lottery ticket.

The National Lottery Operator, Ithuba, yesterday announced that the PowerBall jackpot of R114 580 902.70 from Tuesday’s draw has been won.

This becomes the first jackpot of over R100m this year after 19 rollovers. The winning ticket was purchased at Victor and Son Corner Café in Roodepoort, and Ithuba has appealed to the winner to come forward.

The winner used a manual selection method to choose the winning numbers: 03, 15, 23, 37, 45 and the PowerBall 18.

The operator anticipates that the winner will come claim their winnings soon. “With a jackpot of this magnitude, we really hope that the winner will make contact with us in the coming days. We encourage all players, especially players from Joburg and surrounding areas to check their

“Becoming R114m richer overnight can become overwhelming to anyone Khensani Mabuza Ithuba corporate relations executive

tickets,” Ithuba corporate relations executive Khensani Mabuza said.

“Once we have validated the winning ticket, our first step is to offer them trauma counselling. Becoming R114m richer overnight can become overwhelming to anyone who wins, our aim is to help the winner digest the news and enjoy every step of this life-changing experience.

“The trauma counselling will be followed by extensive financial advice to assist the winner with their financial planning. This a very important free service we offer to all winners of R50 000 and above to make sure they invest their monies wisely.”

The winner becomes the fifth-highest jackpot winner in the history of the National Lottery. The highest jackpot won was R232m in February 2019.