Young couple wins R178.9m PowerBall jackpot: dreams of travel and homeownership realised
R15 wager
The winner and his wife are a young professional couple.
Image: Supplied
THE winner of the historic R178.9 million PowerBall jackpot and his wife have worked hard to cover the basics and one day own a paid-off home. Now they can make this a reality as well as their long-standing dream of travelling abroad.
This win comes from Draw 1687 that took place on Tuesday, January 20. The winning ticket was purchased through the FNB app using the Quick Pick selection method and a R15 wager.
"The winner and his wife are a young professional couple, who are still building their careers and shaping their future together. Like many young South Africans, they have been focused on working hard, growing professionally and steadily creating the life they envision," said Ithuba in a statement.
"One of their long-standing dreams has been to travel overseas. Following their extraordinary win, one of the very first things the couple plans to do is to travel abroad and experience the world together."
Sharing the emotional impact of the win, the winner said: “I was anxious a lot about whether my wife and I would ever accomplish the life we dream of. Our dream life was by no means that of multi-millionaires. That always felt like a wild fairytale to me. We were simply working hard to cover the basics and one day own a paid off home. This win has taken a lifetime of anxiety off our shoulders. Now all this and more is possible, and we can live our lives with far more confidence about the future."
Commenting on the milestone win, Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza said: “This win marks the second largest National Lottery jackpot in our history, which is a proud milestone for both Ithuba and the country. When we set out to reinvigorate the National Lottery, our vision was to restore excitement, credibility and scale, while creating truly life changing moments for everyday South Africans.
"Seeing jackpots of this magnitude transform real lives continues to be deeply fulfilling and reaffirms our commitment to delivering high impact jackpots that inspire hope, participation and national excitement.”
Ithuba has provided the winner with comprehensive support, including trauma counselling and access to independent financial advisory services, to help ensure the responsible and sustainable management of the winnings.