# R126 Million Powerball Winner Steps Forward to Claim Her Prize
Monday, 13 June 2022
South Africans were being kept at the edge of their seats for a few weeks after a May 22 [Powerball jackpot](https://www.southafricancasinos.co.za/powerball.html) draw, after Ithuba announced that there was a single winner of the R126 million prize.
All that was known about the winner was that he or she was from the Johannesburg area and had spent R22.50 on a quick-pick selection.
But a few weeks later, the winner finally stepped forward to claim her prize.
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According to Ithuba, operator of the National Lottery, the anonymous winner is “still processing the reality of winning” such an incredible amount of money.
She has taken the opportunity “re-evaluate the situation” and apply her mind to how her life is about to change, and believes that the win has resulted from her life-long philosophy which includes a “spirit of gratitude and giving.”
“This is what has landed me here at this point in my life,” the winner is quoted in The Citizen. “I am yet to digest the news.”
## Unaware of the Powerball Jackpot Win
Like many former lottery winners, the latest winner wasn’t even aware that someone from Florida had bagged the Powerball jackpot of R126 million.
It was only after her running buddy mentioned it casually in a conversation, that she thought it may be wise to check the four tickets which she had bought ahead of draw #1303.
The tickets had been kept safely in her purse and she headed down to the local SuperSpar to check them out. Three out of the four weren’t winners, but the fourth one confirmed that she was holding onto a winning ticket. It took her a few minutes to verify the numbers online for her to realize that she was the mystery winner that everyone was talking about.
## Plans for the R126 Million Prize
The winner has decided to take a very careful approach to her new status as South Africa’s latest multi-millionaire.
She has promised herself to keep a low profile and maintain a ‘feet-on-the-ground’ attitude to everything that has to do with the money.
She defines herself and her partner as “very conservative people” who are not prone to splashy binge-shopping.
“There will be no Ferraris,” she laughs
The one thing the couple will be sure to spend their winnings on is a new place of residence. Their current living conditions, admits the winner, are less than ideal, and the money will certainly help them achieve their goal of a new home.
“We look forward to having a home with a garden and sufficient space where we can entertain our guests,” she says.
Also on the cards is a trip around the world.
Most importantly, however, the winner will continue to live by her spirit of generosity and has vowed to support non-governmental organizations that are dear to their heart. In the same vein of thinking, the winner said that she will continue playing the lotto; not for the chance to win another big jackpot, but because she knows that the money goes to worthy causes.
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