‘God intervenes’ to grant priest R7.2m Lotto Plus miracle

A priest from Brakpan in Gauteng believes his prayers have been answered as he walked away with a R7.2 million share of the 24 October Lotto Plus jackpot.

The draw yielded two winners, who shared the payout of over R14 million. Both players bought their tickets for R20 and selected their numbers manually.

The priest said he had been asking God to grant him financial freedom.

“I have been praying for God’s intervention for months now, asking him to ease my financial burdens so I can take care of my children and be able to do more for the church. My prayers particularly became more intense from July this year; I started feeling a lot of pressure and I ‘fought’ with God, asking him not to forsake me when all I have been is a loyal servant to him,” said the winner.

He added: “A few days before I played the Lottery, I visited my wife’s grave. I pleaded with her to speak to God on behalf of our family, [as] it is my belief that she is now a spiritual being who is closer to God than we are.

“Earlier this week, I went to check my tickets and I was pleasantly shocked to learn that I had won the Lotto Plus 2 jackpot.”

Asked how he was planning to spend his money, the winner said: “Three things that are at the top of my list are: ensuring my children’s education is paid for and that all their basic needs are taken care of, renovating my parents’ old house, as well as contributing to the church.”

The winner said he was not planning on disclosing to anyone apart from his children that he had won the jackpot.

“This will be a private matter between my children and myself,” he said.

The second winner, who purchased her ticket in Lichtenburg, North West, simply said she wanted to buy a house and retire. She would like to keep the news of her winnings strictly confidential.

The Lotto Plus 2 winning numbers from the Saturday, 24 October draw: 20, 24, 33, 37, 38, 49; bonus ball, 16.

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