The winner of the biggest PowerBall jackpot - R145 million - said on Tuesday that he was still in shock and disbelief following his multi-million rand windfall that has turned his life upside down.
The winner came forward to claim his riches on Tuesday and spent almost the whole day at the offices of national lottery operator, Ithuba Holdings, in Johannesburg.
Ithuba needed to make sure that it verifies the winning ticket as well as the winner, before putting him through a financial advisory and counselling programme.
Even though the reporter had to sign a non-disclosure agreement to not reveal the winner's identity, here are 10 things you need to know about South Africa's newest multi-millionaire.
1. The winner is a black South African male. He is 34 years old and was born and raised in Ekurhuleni.
2. He works as an engineer for one of the biggest companies in Secunda, Mpumalanga. He struggling with finding employment before he got a job in Secunda.
2. The winner is married to his 30-year-old high school sweetheart and they have no children. The wife was born in KwaZulu-Natal. They have been together for 16 years. They plan to have three children.
3. He spent only R20 on his winning ticket which he bought at bought at Evander Dienstasie in Evander, Mpumalanga. He selected his own numbers which he had played on Tuesday's PowerBall for five rand but did not win. He also played a R30 QuickPick together with winning numbers.
4. The winner has been playing the lottery since he was in high school [Disclaimer: You must be 18 years old and above to play the lottery]. He has always played manually at national lottery outlets and does not want to lay online. He has never won any substantial amount more than a few hundred rands until Friday.
5. The winner said he plans to invest his winnings in business, investments and helping to uplift members of his family to earn an income through their own initiatives.
The lucky draw took place on Friday night. The winning numbers were 1, 15, 23, 24, 35 and Powerball 4.
The winner is currently in a state of shock and has been numbed by his fortune. Here are five quotes from him:
1. "Sometimes you have that feeling about your numbers. I had that feeling. If it happened that someone won the jackpot and it was not me, I would have been hurt because I had that feeling."
2. "I remember this one time there was a R60 million winner. I think it was last year. Only one guy won that jackpot. I almost gave up on this lotto thing."
3. "I even laughed when I saw the comments [on social media] saying the search is on for the winner. I laughed when one person said if the winner does not come to claim his prize, then the money will go to Luthuli House."
4. "My life will definitely change but not in a negative way like spending money. Since I am working I always see opportunities. It's just that I never had money. So I'm going to check out those opportunities and weigh my options to try and see where I can invest."
5. "I am going to tell my mother [about winning] but I will try by all means for her not to spread it. I will tell her to please try to keep it to herself."
- African News Agency (ANA)
