Who won R8,7 million Lotto prize?

On 21 December, the National Lottery Operator stated that 2 Lotto jackpot winners had not come ahead to declare their prizes. The R8,7 million Lotto prize winner has since come forward to claim his prize.

The middle-aged man from Soweto came to the Ithuba office in Sandton in the company of his male friend, whom he says he trusts completely. The hero revealed that he had already told several members of his family about his blessing. The single father of 3 said that he had lost count of how many years he has been jobless. He stays with his mom in a family home in Soweto and said that one of the first things he wants to do with his money is to buy a residence and build a better home for his sons. “Winning this Lotto jackpot has really uplifted my dignity. I have lost count of how many years I have been without a job. When I stopped working years ago, I used whatever money I had gathered to start a loan business in the town as a means of survival. Every month I lend people cash and they return it with interest. It is with this money that I had been able to take care of my children and send them to school.”

When questioned about why it took him so long to come forward to claim his winnings, he responded: “I didn’t realize that I had the winning ticket. I heard that there was a winner from Soweto – but Soweto is huge, I did not think it could be me. I reviewed my ticket at the retail store where I shop and I was shocked to discover that I had won the jackpot. Although I play the lottery regularly, I was only just hoping for a few hundreds of thousands, winning millions is a miracle. I am also a regular SportStake 13 player and have won a few thousand from the game. I actually thought my winnings would come from SportStake”, he said.

After receiving financial advice arranged and paid for by the National Lottery Operator the winner said: “Following the financial advice I have received, I plan to buy a house".