'I watched each of the winning numbers appear': Western Cape pensioner watched live on TV as she won R13 million Lotto jackpot
A Western Cape pensioner recalled how she watched the Lotto draw live on television and realised she had won.
The winner won R13 million in the Lotto Plus jackpot draw from the April 23, 2025 draw.
The winning ticket, purchased in-store in Grassy Park, Western Cape, was bought for R40 using the manual selection method, Ituba said in a statement.
The pensioner recounted the moment she discovered her win while watching the draw on television.
'I watched each of the winning numbers appear, and I could hardly believe what I was seeing,' she shared.
'I was holding a ticket that matched every number - a ticket worth over R13 million.
"I've never won anything close to this in my life; it still feels unreal'.
The winner had diligently written her details on the back of her ticket and stored it safely, holding onto the hope that this might be her lucky draw.
Upon confirming her win, she couldn't wait to share the news with her son and immediately gave him a call.
As a passionate gardener, the winner expressed her delight, saying, "Now I'll have more time to focus on the things I truly enjoy during my retirement years."
With her newfound fortune, she plans to invest a large portion of the winnings to ensure her comfort during her retirement.
She also shared that she plans on spreading the joy by donating some of her winnings to charity.
Charmaine Mabuza, CEO of ITHUBA, extended warm congratulations to the winner, stating, "We're thrilled that our winner gets to enjoy her golden years with much more comfort. This win is a testament to the fact that it's never too late for a life-changing moment."
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In December, IOL reported that the provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has warned community members, particularly social clubs or stokvels, against carrying large amounts of money, as they can be targeted by criminals and robbed. The appeal was made by the provincial police commissioner following a house robbery where a mother and daughter were robbed. Provincial police commissioner in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe Image: SAPS 'A 54-year-old female victim fell victim to a house robbery involving a social club's money at Strydkraal Block A village under the Sekhukhune district on 9 December 2024, at about 10 pm,' Limpopo provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, narrated. He said preliminary investigations revealed that members of a local social club held a meeting at the victim's residence to discuss how they were going to distribute the money they had saved. That meeting started at around 3 pm. 'The meeting concluded at approximately 7 pm, and the members of the social club departed to their homes and left the victim with her teenage daughter,' said Ledwaba. 'At about 10 pm, three unknown male suspects instantly broke into her house and robbed a substantial amount of cash belonging to the social club and later locked the two victims inside one of the bedrooms before fleeing the scene on foot.' The traumatized mother and daughter were later rescued by a relative. The matter was then reported to the police. IOL News
