Lottery winner can travel abroad to meet grandchild for the first time

South Africa's newest millionaire says his PowerBall Plus winnings means he and his wife can travel abroad to see their daughter, after years apart due to financial difficulties, and  meet their grandchild.

“Our daughter lives overseas. We have not seen her in five years due to lack of finances. What’s worse, she has a daughter we have never met. We will use a portion of the money to travel to the US to see our daughter for the first time in years, and meet our grandchild for the first time,” he said.

The operator of the national lottery announced three lucky individuals won the PowerBall draw last Tuesday.

The PowerBall jackpot of R13,309,154.20 was won by one player, and two others each bagged R2,901,985.00 from the PowerBall Plus draw.

The excited granddad bought his R45 ticket at a garage in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, with a manual selection. He claimed his winnings on Wednesday in the company of his wife.

“We want to buy a special gift for the little one. We're not sure what yet, but something meaningful that represents Africa so she always remembers that she has people who love her on the other side of the world,” the emotional winner said. 

Two other winning tickets have not yet been claimed.

The winning Powerball ticket was bought at a Shoprite Checkers stores in Limpopo with a R60 wager and manual selection option. 

The second Powerball Plus ticket from a Western Cape player was bought at a South Africa Post Office in Cape Town, with a R15 ticket wager using the manual selection method. 

Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza congratulated the winners.

“The diversity of retailers from which these winning tickets were purchased underscores the accessibility of the national lottery. Whether it's a local supermarket, a post office, or a service station, every corner of the nation holds the potential for life-altering moments through the national lottery games,” she said.

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