'I want my wife back,' says man who won R8m PowerBall Plus jackpot

“I want my wife back so I can rebuild my life with her and our children, and have our dream home,” says a Gauteng man who won an R8m PowerBall Plus jackpot.

Speaking to the National Lottery operator Ithuba, the winner said his wife left him at the beginning of the year because he did not have enough money.

But now, he hopes, everything will change.

“The rest of the winnings will go towards purchasing a brand new house for my parents, paying off all my debt, and investing,” he said.

Ithuba on Wednesday announced that the R8m jackpot winner had come forward to claim his winnings from the draw which took place on Tuesday August 10.

“I feel like I’m in a dream. I can't believe this is happening to me. I have no words to express my happiness. It has been such an emotionally draining year,” he said.

The winning ticket was purchased at Brazil Cafe in Pretoria North. The winner spent R22.50 on the ticket, using the Quick Pick selection method. The winning numbers were 3, 12, 17, 37, 38 and the PowerBall 17.

“I want to buy myself a brand-new car and save a portion of my winnings to be able to give my children the opportunity to go to university one day,” he said.

Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza congratulated the winner.

“When we took over the operations of the National Lottery, we promised to offer unprecedented, life-changing jackpots, and we have delivered just that. Ithuba has paid out the highest jackpots in the history of the South African National Lottery, and has created more winners and multimillionaires than any other operator,” said Mabuza.

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