He purchased the winning ticket at Brazil Cafe in Pretoria on 10 August – and recently came forward to claim his prize.
“I feel like I’m in a dream, I can’t believe this is happening to me. I have no words to express my happiness. It has been such an emotionally draining year,” he was quoted as saying by the Citizen.
“My wife left me at the beginning of the year because I did not have enough money. I want my wife back, so I can rebuild my life with her and our kids and have our dream home.
“I want to buy myself a brand new car and save a portion of my winnings to be able to give my children the opportunity to go to university one day.”
This spousal pursuit is a sharp contrast to an example from earlier this year, when a Cape Town man welcomed a R60 million Powerball prize shortly after breaking up with his girlfriend. Unlike the Pretoria man’s ambition to get back together with his spouse, the Capetonian didn’t have such a sentiment.
“My live-in girlfriend had just broken up with me, and I was not in the best of moods. By the time I checked the results, I was by myself as she had already moved out,” he said at the time.
“It was real – lady luck was on my side, but clearly not so much for her. Because of my profession, I am clued up on the kind of investments I want, to ensure that my money keeps working for me and bears interest.
“Oh and I will also buy my ex-girlfriend a fridge, probably a washing machine too, just to say no hard feelings.”
Meanwhile, an investment banker who struck it rich with a R7 million Lotto win – also in August 2021 – has no plans to end his existing employment.
“As an investment banker, I know the best investments and will invest a large portion of my winnings and pay off all my debt,” he said.
“I had already planned a vacation with a couple of my friends, and the winnings will make this trip extra special and so much more worth it.”
It’s good practice to invest lottery winnings and even seek financial advice when coming into a relatively large fortune.
Winners might want to keep their triumphs confidentially before planning a course of action. Going public about this sort of victory before having a notion of what to do with the winnings can prove costly. Turning to the experts for help instead of going it alone can be really beneficial. They are trained and experienced in relevant matters and scenarios that will require navigating.
One can then also look beyond themselves and their immediate circumstances – and perhaps put money into other needy situations.
“I want to help as many people as I can to meet at least some of their basic needs. I also want to do animal charity work, as I feel that animals have really been neglected,” said one South African Powerball winner, for example.
