Inspiring 82-year-old Pretorian Claims R29 Million Lotto Winnings

Inspiring 82-year-old Pretorian Claims R29 Million Lotto Winnings
Wednesday, December 12, 2018

An 82-year-old from Pretoria, South Africa, has proved that age is just a number after coming forward to claim his Lotto Plus 1 winnings worth R29 million. The kind-hearted player won the eight-figure amount from a Quick Pick ticket bought for just R50, and already has inspiring plans to help others with his new-found wealth.

“A Blessing in his Golden Years”

The winning numbers on Saturday 24th November were 22, 27, 34, 45, 48 and 50, and there were over 97,000 players celebrating on the night. The elderly winner was one of two players to match all six numbers, with both tickets winning an even share of the R58 million windfall.

The Pretoria player revealed this win felt like a blessing in his golden years. He has been a regular Lotto and PowerBall player for a long time, and came forward to claim his winnings from the National Lottery offices alongside his son, 12 days after becoming an instant multi-millionaire.

Winner Runs an Old Age Home

It has emerged the winner is a well-respected leader within his local community, and has already enjoyed a remarkable life prior to this big win. He has had a big part to play in the running of a local old age home for the past 38 years, with the help of his own children, and has also cared for disabled children in his area. He has even donated some of his own money in the past to keep the projects afloat, and has stated he will generously use some of his R29 million winnings to help the growth and sustainability of these schemes.

Holding back the tears, he explained: “There’s a lot of children living with disabilities that are on the waiting list, waiting to receive help from our centre. We have not had enough money to accommodate them and this has been breaking my heart and giving me sleepless nights. I will use some of my winnings to improve this situation.”

The winner will receive psychological counselling and financial advice following his big win, free-of-charge services which are offered to all big winners in South Africa. The jackpot automatically reset to R1.3 million following this win, and another player matched all six main numbers just seven days later to take home R2.4 million.

If you are feeling inspired to make a positive difference to your local community, you can enter tonight’s Lotto draw for R3 million by picking your numbers online. Good luck!