KZN pensioner bags R100 million PowerBall jackpot after 14 years of playing

A retired engineer from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has claimed last Tuesday’s R100 million PowerBall jackpot.

After almost a week of calling on KZN players to come forward and claim their winnings, the pensioner said he was in a state of complete disbelief and kept on checking his winning ticket to make sure if he had really won.

The winning ticket was purchased in Margate and was played through a manual selection with a wager of R7.50.

The winning numbers for PowerBall were: 8, 9, 36, 42, 50 and the bonus PowerBall number was 4

“I was hoping to catch a big fish and instead caught a whale,” says the 72-year-old.

“I had been playing for almost 14 years now, every Tuesday and Friday, the most I would win was between R30 to R60,” said the former engineer who retired at 52.

The winner has no immediate festive holiday plans due to the Covid-19 pandemic but will be consulting his private banker for financial advice and investment plans.

“At the moment, only my daughter knows, and I told her to keep it quiet,” he said.

“We congratulate and welcome our latest winner to the millionaires’ circle. At last, the prize has been claimed, and we thank our player for coming forward, said National Lotto operator Ituba’s CEO Charmaine Mabuza.

“While the elderly man has been playing for 14 years, you never know when it will be your turn to win, so keep phanda, pusha, playing,” said Mabuza.

All winners who receive R50,000 and more receive trauma counselling followed by extensive financial advice to assist them with their financial planning, all free of charge.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney