New Lotto winner wants to move from employee to employer

A man in his early forties has become the latest National Lottery winner after winning an impressive R5.2 million Lotto Plus jackpot on 8 August 2017. With this windfall, he plans on realising one of his childhood dreams which is to move from being an employee and becoming an employer.

The winner who originates from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has big plans with his money, and more importantly, he will finally be able to pursue his farming dream. “Growing up in rural KZN meant I was exposed to farming from a young age and I enjoyed every moment of herding cattle. From that young age, I knew I had found my passion and wanted to become a large-scale farmer.”

But due to lack of capital and other resources, the Lotto Plus jackpot winner had to settle for an eight-to-five job and become a full-time employee. “I had to put food on the table and needed a stable income, and that meant my entrepreneurial farming dream had to be put on hold – at least for the time being,” said the winner.

Even though he had a stable job, he still could not let go of his childhood dream. “I still wanted my farm and wanted to create jobs, particularly in the village I grew up in. This burning desire pushed me and in the effort of pursuing this dream, I compiled a business plan and with it I knocked on every door to try and get funding for my business plan, but rejection is all I got. No one wanted to fund the business.

“Even though no funding opportunities were coming my way, I refused to lose hope. I knew one day my dream will come true,” explained the jubilant winner.

Little did he know that R60 is all it would take for him to move one step closer to his dream. “I went into a garage and as they were filling-up my car I decided to play Lotto and Lotto Plus. My ticket was a quick pick and I wagered for R60.” That winning ticket made the KZN husband and father the newest millionaire created by Ithuba, the National Lottery Operator.

Other than going into farming, the winner also plans to build his mother a house and also extend the size of his current house.

Ithuba also provided the winner with financial advice and counselling to ensure that the winner has all the knowledge, resources and advice on how to cope with his new wealth.