South Africa has another multi-millionaire after one lucky resident won R86 million in the Powerball draw.
The winner has not yet been named, but quickly exclaimed, “Without God this would not have been possible,” after finding out about the triumph.
The jackpot was won on 17th September, but the winner only came forward in October to claim the cash.
The prize money had effectively rolled over 14 times before it was eventually won to the tune of just short of R90 million.
The rollovers went from early August to mid-September before the hefty sum finally tolled.
While R86 million is a hang of a lot of rands, it’s still not among the biggest amounts among what the historical results were for the SA Powerball draws over the years.
Back in 2019, a Capetonian man pocketed a record R232 million in the SA Powerball draw. He was understandably enthused and said at the time: “I am very excited and glad that I won this. It will open doors for me and my children.
“There will be some big changes in my life, but I will not spend money a lot. I will take the time needed to think it all through. I chose the same numbers for many years and sort of knew one day could be my day.
In 2020, another South African man, this time from Kwa-Zulu Natal, won a R153 million SA Powerball prize. The parents of his wife were quite influential in his eventual victory, too.
“We were not regular players of the lottery, but my in-laws kept track of the jackpots and encouraged us to play as well,” he said.
“It was my in-laws who really sold us the idea of potentially being millionaires. They would tell us about the attractive jackpots whenever the prizes were high. When we won, I had mixed emotions. I was calm and then nervous. It really was a lot of mixed emotions then.”
A few years earlier, in 2018, an engineer from Secunda won R145 million in the SA Powerball. He said he had undergone some difficult times and the win was likely going to help him rectify some problems.
“It was not easy for me to make the call when I realised I had probably won. I had to really think about it and know that my life was going to change,” he exclaimed.
“Growing up, I had to spend a lot of time looking for a job. Things were not that easy.”
The SA Powerball doesn’t always churn out three-figure wins in the millions. Sometimes the numbers are smaller, but can be equally as life-changing for the fortunate recipients.
Take, for example, August 2021’s winner from Pretoria, who took home R8 million – by no means insignificant digits.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me. I have no words to express my happiness. I want to buy myself a brand new car and save a portion of my winnings to be able to give my children the opportunity to go to university one day,” he said earlier this year.
