ITHUBA has made one final call to the Cape Town winner who is incredibly yet to claim his – or her – R7 547 468 PowerBall Plus jackpot prize. Photo: Marco Verch / Flickr
Lockdown hold on R7.4 million payout for Lottery winner
National Lottery operator Ithuba announced its closure ahead of the nationwide lockdown scheduled for midnight on Thursday.
ITHUBA has made one final call to the Cape Town winner who is incredibly yet to claim his – or her – R7 547 468 PowerBall Plus jackpot prize. Photo: Marco Verch / Flickr
A very lucky player who won the R7.4m lottery on Wednesday 25 March, will most likely have to wait until after the coronavirus lockdown, to claim the money.
Unfortunately for the winner, National Lottery operator Ithuba announced the shutdown of its offices on Thursday 26 March.
“During the lockdown, our head office and all regional offices will be closed. This means that no winners will be able to claim their winnings at any of our offices. Players should not be anxious about this because all winning tickets have a lifespan of 365 days. It is therefore imperative that players keep their tickets safe until they can claim,” Ithuba told TimesLive.
The winner of Wednesday’s jackpot played the numbers 10, 13, 19, 25, 42 and 47, with 35 the bonus number.
As announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday, a nationwide lockdown is to commence on Thursday evening for a period of 21 days.
National Lottery sales to continue during lockdown
The measures to be implemented are intended to reduce person-to-person contact, and encourage the use of remote and digital platforms in conducting all National Lottery operations- from ticket sales, draws, and claiming of prizes:
- National Lottery ticket sales will continue during the lockdown;
- National Lottery draws will continue and the National Lottery Commission (NLC) will monitor the conducting of draws and publication of results as per stipulations of the operating license. Winning numbers and prize allocation details will continue to be available on the National Lottery website (www.nationallottery.co.za), the mobile App, and other publicly available media platforms, including television; and
- The NLC will ensure that all prizes are paid to winners after the lockdown period.
“The NLC would like to reassure all South Africans that measures adopted by the National Lottery Operator, ITHUBA, during the lockdown period will be strictly monitored to ensure the integrity of the games and protection of National Lottery participants,” it said.
Donation of R50 million to coronavirus solidarity fund
In other news, the NLC has availed R50 million through its Proactive Funding mechanism, to assist in efforts to cushion the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on South Africans.
The funds will be used to provide much-needed relief to beneficiaries of the Solidarity Fund that was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 23 March, as he informed the nation of the imminent lockdown intended to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel, has in consultation with the National Lotteries Commission board, made the request in line with the Lotteries Act of 1997.
Through this, funding is able to reach the most vulnerable members of society and provide much-needed relief in emergency situations.
