Durban: A Cape Town man who makes a living as a street vendor has won the R86 million Lotto jackpot.
National lottery operator Ithuba said the man came forward to claim his winnings after realising on Sunday that he had won from a ticket he bought at Shoprite in Durbanville. He had played via the manual selection.
The winner said: “The first thing we did when I realised I had won was pray and thank the Lord.
“Only my wife and children know that we have won.
“I play the lottery games twice a month, and I mix my numbers each time I play. This time around, I specifically played Lotto and not the other games, as I went with my gut feeling.
“I have never won this much money before; the most I won from a game was R450.
“All my life I have dreamt of winning a big jackpot, and now I can build a house from my family.”
In his spare time, he gives motivational talks at schools.
When asked what one thing he would do now that he hadn’t been able to do before, he replied: “I can now start to relax.”
Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza congratulated the winner, adding: “It is even more significant when they win our jackpots and have their dreams come true.”
IOL