PowerBall winner proves why you MUST answer 'telesales' phone calls
The unnamed winner of the PowerBall jackpot from Draw Number 1639, held on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, has officially come forward to claim her life-changing prize, ITHUBA confirmed this week.
The ticket, purchased via the Absa Banking App, cost just R37.50, and the lucky player manually selected the winning numbers: 10, 32, 34, 40, 48, and Bonus Ball 14.
The winner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said she initially ignored calls from an unknown number, assuming it was a telesales pitch.
'I finally answered on Friday, and it was my bank advising me to report to the nearest ITHUBA office as I had won some money. They didn't tell me how much,' she said.
It was only upon arriving at ITHUBA's Johannesburg offices on Monday afternoon that she was informed of the jackpot win.
'I'm still in shock,' she said.
'My dream of owning a car will finally come true.'
The emotional winner spoke candidly about the impact of the windfall on her family, revealing that her husband has been unemployed for several years, and they've been living on a single income.
'It's been tough – hand-to-mouth,' she shared.
'Now, everything will change. I wish my parents were still alive. There's so much I would have wanted to do for them. I will rebuild their house and restore it as our family home.'
ITHUBA CEO Charmaine Mabuza expressed joy at the win and praised the transformative power of the National Lottery.
'We are thrilled that the winner has come forward. Her story is heartwarming, and it speaks to the very purpose of the National Lottery – giving ordinary South Africans the opportunity to dream big and change their lives,' Mabuza said.
'We congratulate her and look forward to celebrating many more such moments.'
Winners who win R50 000 and above receive free trauma counselling from professional psychologists and financial advice from accredited financial advisors absolutely free. At the same time, winnings are paid tax-free directly into the winner's accounts.
Players must be 18 years old in order to play.
The next PowerBall and PowerBall Plus draws will take place on Tuesday, 12 August from 20:58.
The PowerBall jackpot now stands at R10 million, with the PowerBall Plus jackpot at R37 million.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- The Citizen
PowerBall Draw Times and Ticket Purchase Details
A new millionaire could be made tonight The National Lottery aims to create new millionaires through the PowerBall and PowerBall Plus draw. The draw plays just after 9pm. PowerBall and PowerBall Plus estimated jackpots: PowerBall: R15 million PowerBall Plus: R38 million ALSO READ: PowerBall player wins R124 million, here's what banking app they used How to play PowerBall? To play Powerball, a player chooses five numbers between 1 and 50 followed by a PowerBall number between 1 and 20. The system also provides a quick pick selection method where it randomly chooses all the numbers on your behalf. PowerBall tickets are available on selected banking apps; terms and conditions apply. Tickets are available for purchase until 8.30pm on draw days (Tuesday and Friday). Tickets can also be bought on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 11.30pm. The national lottery also gives you a chance to win money every day from the daily lotto. The draw takes place every evening just after 9.30pm. Tickets for the Daily Lotto can be bought every day until 8.30pm. How to play Daily Lotto in SA? If you are buying a ticket in-store: Pick up a bet slip in any lottery store. Choose five numbers between 1 and 36 or ask for a Quick Pick. Entries cost R3 each. You can play a max of R150, but you are allowed to play multiple boards. Select how many consecutive draws you wish to enter, up to a maximum of 10. Leave blank for a single draw. Take your bet slip to the teller to pay for your ticket. Write your details on the back of your ticket in case you need to claim a prize. If you do not sign your ticket, and you lose it, anyone can use it to claim the prize. READ MORE: Daily Lotto results: Thursday, 14 August 2025 If you are playing online: Set up a lottery account here and make a deposit to pay for tickets. Choose five numbers from 1 to 36 or select 'Quick Pick' to generate a random set. Repeat this on as many boards as you want to play. Decide whether to enter a single draw or multiple draws. Confirm and pay for your entry. What happens after winning? Winners receive an SMS from their respective banks with a reference number and further instructions on the documents they should bring when visiting Ithuba. When a player wins less than R250 000, they get their money directly deposited into their bank account if they had used a banking app to play. For the winners who win more than R250 000, they get referred to the lottery operator, Ithuba, for a payout. Free financial and trauma counselling is given to all winners who win above R50 000, tax-free. Players must be 18 years or older to participate.
The South African
12 hours ago
- The South African
PowerBall jackpots at R53 million on Friday, 15 August
Excitement is sweeping the country as the PowerBall and PowerBall Plus jackpots have climbed to a combined R53 million. According to lottery operator ITHUBA, the PowerBall jackpot now stands at R15 million, while the PowerBall Plus prize has reached R38 million ahead of the next draws scheduled for Friday, 15 August. This comes after there were no winners of Tuesday, 12 August's jackpots. 'With jackpots of this magnitude, the dream of financial freedom feels more real than ever,' ITHUBA said in a statement, urging players to purchase tickets through licensed retailers, online platforms, or mobile apps. In the midst of rising costs and economic strain, many view the potential windfall as more than just luck – but as a lifeline of opportunity. The draw will be broadcast live on Friday evening, and results will be available shortly after on official platforms, as well as The South African website. Good luck! Buy your tickets now at your nearest participating retailer, on our website by visiting national using your computer or mobile site, via the National Lottery Mobile App, or participating banks, namely FNB, ABSA, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Capitec, TymeBank and African Bank otherwise dial 120 7529# for USSD. Winners who win R50 000 and above receive free trauma counselling from professional psychologists and financial advice from accredited financial advisors absolutely free. At the same time, winnings are paid tax-free directly into the winner's accounts. The next PowerBall and PowerBall Plus draws will take place on Friday, 15 August from 20:58. The PowerBall jackpot draw required players to pick five main numbers from 1 to 50 and one 'PowerBall' number from 1 to 20 for an entry fee of R5.00 per board. Draws take place every Tuesday and Friday. The record prize for any lottery game in South Africa came in the PowerBall when one winner scooped an incredible R232 131 750.69 in the draw held on 19 February 2019. PowerBall Plus is exactly the same as PowerBall but gives players a second chance to win. When buying a PowerBall ticket, players can pay an extra R2.50 per board to enter the PowerBall Plus draw. Odds are the same, while prizes are usually slightly lower. It was introduced on 28 November 2015 by the National Lottery of South Africa. If you are buying tickets from a lottery outlet, they close at 20:30 on the day of a draw. Players must be 18 years old. Monday: Daily Lotto Tuesday: Daily Lotto + PowerBall and PowerBall Plus Wednesday: Daily Lotto + Lotto, Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 Thursday: Daily Lotto Friday: Daily Lotto + PowerBall and PowerBall Plus Saturday: Daily Lotto + Lotto, Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 Sunday: Daily Lotto For more details and to verify the winning PowerBall and PowerBall Plus numbers, visit the National Lottery website. You must always confirm the official winning numbers on the National Lottery website. We do our best to post the results as accurately as possible, but the National Lottery is the only source you can use to 100% verify the results. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Powerball jackpot hits R10. 7 billion for this Saturday
IOL The race is on! The Powerball jackpot has hit R10.7 billion. The Powerball jackpot rose to $565 million (R10.7 billion) - the year's biggest lottery prize so far, after none of the purchased tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Wednesday night. The half-a-billion-dollar jackpot rolled over after there were no winners from the previous drawing held last Friday. As for the Mega Millions, if a single person were to win the jackpot, they would win a lump sum of $293.6 million (R5.56 billion) in cash, the lottery said, which would be the sixth-largest prize in the game's history. The next draw for the Powerball jackpot will happen on Saturday night. A day before that, the Mega Millions lottery will hold a draw for a $198 million (R3.75 billion) jackpot prize. The eventual winner will have to overcome odds of 1 in 292.2 million to win the Powerball jackpot. This is slightly higher than the Mega Millions jackpot, which has odds of 1 in 290.4 million.
