Pretoria - Lottery operator Gidani has dispelled reports that a deaf Cape Town man is the winner of the R91 million jackpot in the operator's Power Ball game.
"I confirm that Gidani employees or associates have not been in contact either telephonically, physically or any other way with the purported winner. We have not been in contact with them," Gidani CEO Bongani Khumalo said on Tuesday.
Khumalo was reacting to media reports that the winner of the R91 086 427 Power Ball jackpot is Stanley Philander who is reportedly a cleaner.
Gidani said they had waited for the reported "winner" to make contact with the operator up until Monday afternoon. However, this did not happen.
"We have not been in contact with them. They have not presented themselves to us," Khumalo said.
Gidani said Philander's ticket was bought on Saturday, the day after the draw and that the numbers were similar to those drawn on the Friday. His ticket is valid for tonight's Power Ball jackpot of R5 million.
Lotto tickets are only sold from 6am up until 9pm on the day of the draw.
"We've confirmed that we only have one winner... and that we are providing them with the relevant support," said Khumalo.
In fact, the winner of the Power Ball jackpot is a 43-year-old Western Cape married mother of two who bought her R70 Quick Pick ticket last Thursday after the Power Ball draw had been rolled over 22 times.
He said the woman had already been paid and would continue to receive counseling and support following her win last Friday.
Khumalo attributed the woman's win to "Madiba Magic" as former President Nelson Mandela's grandson was part of the draw.
The woman has chosen to remain anonymous but is said to be planning to buy a car for her teenage child who will be attending university next year as well as a new home.
Speaking of his conversation with the anonymous winner, Khumalo said the first-time player had been "anxious and edgy" when she bought her ticket.
Other than the woman and her husband who "are not going to even tell their children" about their win, there are nine other people who won in the second division of Power Ball among other winners.
Of the money generated by the sale of lottery tickets, 34 percent of the proceeds go to good causes through the National Lotteries Board.
