Pretoria domestic worker wins R70m PowerBall jackpot

A domestic worker and single mom from Pretoria became a multimillionaire, raking in the R70,873,741 jackpot from the PowerBall Plus draw last Tuesday, Rekord East reports.

She bought her ticket at a local Shell garage for only R7.50, lottery operator Ithuba said in a statement on its website.

She initially thought only four of the numbers she’d played had won, but her employer later told her she had, in fact, won the big jackpot.

She immediately rushed back to the garage where the cashier advised her to go to the Ithuba offices to claim her winnings.

The mother said she had been drowning in debt as she was the sole breadwinner.

The night before the draw, she said she put her ticket in a Bible a friend had given her, went on her knees and prayed to God for a sign her troubles would be over.

When she could not sleep, she again asked God to bless her and her family with good fortune.

Ithuba said the winner had – understandably – already resigned from her job as a domestic worker for more than 30 years.

She now plans to use her winnings to renovate the family home she shares with her daughter, grandchild and younger brother.

She also wants to help her daughter with her tertiary fees so that she can be the first in her family to get a tertiary qualification.

She has received free financial advice and trauma counselling as part of the winners’ support programme.

The mother plans to continue playing the lottery despite winning this jackpot.

She also plans to keep her winning receipt in her Bible as a reminder to always thank God for her good fortune.

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