R30 million Lotto Jackpot winner finally comes forward

Middelburg Observer  published several articles to assist in looking for the winner since the draw that took place on April 14.

The winning ticket was purchased at Builders Express in Midwater Centre, Aerorand, Middelburg. The National Lottery Operator, Ithuba just announced that he claimed his winnings.

He spent R80 on the winning ticket using a manual selection method.

The winner, who wants to stay anonymous, told Ithuba that as an entrepreneur, he’s always on the move looking for the next big opportunity and he was so busy that he had forgotten to check his Lotto ticket.

Speaking to Ithuba, the excited 73-year old winner said, “I’m over the moon, I want to enjoy my winnings with my family and close friends. My family and I have a lovely home and my wife recently purchased a new car. The winnings will go towards paying off all my debts and providing financial support to my extended family.”

He said that a huge portion of his winnings will go towards uplifting the community.

“I want to donate money to schools in the rural areas and in townships of Mpumalanga to offer the youth better education opportunities.”

Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza congratulated the winner.

“Congratulations to our Lotto jackpot winner, we are extremely happy that we have produced yet another multi-millionaire this year. This money could not have gone to a more deserving winner. We are excited to see many of our players opting to play the National Lottery at the different authorised National Lottery retailers. Our players come from all walks of life and are spread out across all provinces. This is precisely what Ithuba set out to do when we were granted the third license to operate the National Lottery in 2015; increase the National Lottery footprint and make it accessible so that all South Africans have an equal opportunity to win life-changing jackpots.”

Mr Trevor Perumal, Vice President, Commercial at Builders said it is an incredible milestone for Builders Warehouse.

“We are excited for the big jackpot winner that played Lotto in our Middleburg store. Our purpose is to provide our customers with solutions that save them time, money and help them live better. The availability of the National Lottery amongst the other services we offer in our stores is a true embodiment of that purpose. We look forward to working together with Ithuba to surprise and delight more of our customers”.

The winner added that he is not a big spender, despite the new millionaire status.

“I’m not planning on making any drastic changes to my life,” he added.

•Winners of R50 000 and more receive extensive financial advice as well as trauma counselling from qualified psychologists, to help them deal with their new financial circumstances. These advisory services come at no cost to the winner.