South Africa PowerBall Jackpot Winner Claims R232 Million Prize
The winner of the biggest prize in African lottery history has come forward to claim their South Africa PowerBall winnings worth R232 million, less than a week after scooping the record-breaking amount. Initial reports suggest the Cape Town resident is wanting to remain anonymous.
Record Winnings Claimed After Six Days
The Capetonian won the nine-figure windfall in the PowerBall draw on Tuesday 19th February, after buying their lucky entry for R22.50 from the OK Mini Market in the Goodwood area of Cape Town. Their win brought a run of 23 successive rollovers to an end, and, although lottery winners in South Africa have 365 days from the date of a draw to come forward and claim their prize, the big winner has wasted little time in doing so.
Ithuba, the official national lottery operator in South Africa, confirmed the lucky PowerBall winner began the claims process on Monday 25th February, only six days after winning the jackpot. They were then being flown to Ithuba’s headquarters in Sandton, Johannesburg, the following day to process their claim.
Further information about the winner - such as their name - has yet to be publicly revealed, and they are expected to remain anonymous. Some local media outlets report the winner is a 57-year-old man who has a blue-collar job, but this has yet to be confirmed by Ithuba.
“We Are Very Happy and Proud That Our Winner Has Come Forward”
Khensani Mabuza, Ithuba’s corporate relations executive, said: “We are very happy and proud to announce that our winner has come forward. Our winner has let us know that they were responding to the national call Ithuba had made in order to locate our winner. This winner becomes the richest national lottery jackpot winner in South Africa, taking the title from the 34-year-old R145 million jackpot winner, who claimed their prize in August 2018."
Mabuza described the winner as being “overwhelmed and completely in shock”, adding: “At the moment we can't divulge too much information about our winner. We can merely acknowledge that the winner has come forward and we are following our normal processes. The winner will be given free financial [advice] and four months' psychological counselling, which Ithuba provides to all winners who win more than R50 000." This is to help the winner to cope smoothly with the transition of becoming an overnight multi-millionaire.
With R4 million to be won in tonight’s Powerball game, Mabuza also encouraged PowerBall players to enter future draws in the hope of emulating big winners. She added: “We see winners who come from all walks of life and I think it is all about participation. Where you see high volumes of participation, is where you will see high volumes of winners.” You can be in with a chance of winning by filling out a playslip from any licensed retailer in South Africa, or playing online. Best of luck!