A lucky few are owed R257 million in South Africa – check if you’re one of them
A staggering R257 million in National Lottery winnings remain unclaimed across South Africa, according to Ithuba, the operator of the South African National Lottery.
Prizes from various games—including jackpots worth millions—are still waiting to be claimed by their rightful owners.
Two particularly significant unclaimed prizes highlight the urgency of this call to action.
A PowerBall PLUS jackpot of over R3.4 million, purchased in Louis Trichardt on January 19, 2024, remains unclaimed and will expire on January 19, 2025.
Additionally, a Daily LOTTO win of R640,100, bought in Carletonville, Gauteng, on January 5, 2024, will also expire on the same date next year.
Under National Lottery rules, all prizes must be claimed within 365 days of the draw date.
If not, the winnings are forfeited and redirected to community initiatives through the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).
To ensure you don’t miss out on a potential life-changing prize, Ithuba has outlined simple steps to check and claim winnings:
- For tickets purchased at retail outlets, players can visit any retailer or Ithuba office to validate their tickets.
- Those who played using digital platforms—such as banking apps, the National Lottery website, or the mobile app—enjoy automatic crediting of winnings under R249,000 directly to their bank accounts or National Lottery wallets.
- For larger winnings exceeding R249,000, winners are promptly notified within 24 working hours. They can then visit an Ithuba regional office to complete the secure claim process.
To safeguard your tickets, Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza advises participants to write their names on the back of their tickets and store them securely.
“It’s always unfortunate when winners do not follow up on their well-deserved prizes.
“We urge all National Lottery players to use our social media pages, website, and mobile app to check winning numbers after playing,” says Mabuza.
While claiming your prize is easy, winning the lottery itself is a long shot.
The odds of winning the PowerBall jackpot are around 1 in 42 million.
Despite these slim chances, someone must win—and those winnings are tax-free, making it worthwhile to check your tickets.
Loading ...
