Cape Town — The winner of the R107m Powerball jackpot has finally come forward to claim her winnings, one week after she was announced as the winner.
Ithuba Holdings, the operator of the National Lottery, announced that the anonymous winner of the R107 million jackpot came forward to claim her winnings, which was won by a R90 wager, TimesLIVE reported.
The winner said she had texted her partner to say she had won, but she did not know how much she had won. She said she knew her numbers matched the winning numbers but was unsure where it was from the same draw.
She said she always played the same numbers, which were the birthdays and ages of people she knew.
“However, four months ago I decided to narrow my focus and play only PowerBall. But I never believed I could ever win a prize this big,” she said.
She explained that she was relaxing at home with her family when she checked the numbers and the first three matched hers.
“Then I realised that all the winning numbers matched mine,” she explained.
Ithuba Holdings’ Michelle Van Trotsenburg speaks to Michelle Craig about the over R100-million Powerball jackpot winner who has finally come forward to claim her money after weeks of suspense.
Watch: https://t.co/K9ftmn8uYE pic.twitter.com/5BvZhHe8JF
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 20, 2024
According to IOL, Ithuba had called the winner on Monday 16 September to tell her to go to the Ithuba officers to claim her winning prize. She visited the regional offices in Durban, where she was the sole winner.
She explained that she would use the money to prioritise education for her children, while she would also donate money to charities that assist the elderly and children.
“I never received tertiary education, it was never even an option in my family, my parents could not afford it and it is a privilege I want to offer my children. There is also so much of the world that I have not seen, so travel is also on my list,” she said.
She added that she would quit her current day job as her winnings are “tantamount to 100 years worth of my current salary,” she joked.
Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza, in congratulating the winner, said: “We are pleased to confirm that the winner has successfully claimed her winnings, which will be paid to her tax-free within 72 working hours.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
