R100m Powerball Lotto winner quits job after win

A man who recently won the R100 million Powerball Lotto has quit his job, an insider has revealed.

The unidentified man won the astronomical figure – which had rolled over 16 consecutive times – in the draw on Friday, 24 January.

POWERBALL WINNER QUITS JOB

According to X user @Kgadiyabatlhalo, the male Powerball winner resigned after he discovered his winnings.

She tweeted on Tuesday: “A guy who works with my little sister won R100 million Powerball. He only found out yesterday while at work.

“He immediately packed his things, and that was it.”

The Pretoria-based tweep hinted that the man worked in an IT company and had used his FNB banking app to place a bet.

She added: “So the whole weekend, he was already a millionaire but didn’t know.”

Another X user – @_KevinZA – claimed to be a work colleague of the Powerball winner.

He tweeted: “We were all in disbelief. Such a humble guy. He deserved it.”

He added: “We were unable to work after🤣”

It’s unclear if the man disclosed his winnings to his company.

WHY DO LOTTO WINNER’S NAMES REMAIN ANONYMOUS?

Unlike Lotto winners around the world, South African ones often opt to keep their identity a secret.

Like the R100 million Powerball prizewinner, their identities are lawfully protected by the Data Protection Act. Lotto is not permitted to reveal their personal information without their consent.

These are some of the reasons winners choose to remain anonymous…

Crime

The obvious reason is the high levels of crime in the country – announcing you’ve won millions of rands will immediately put a target on your back for crimes like theft, kidnapping, and extortion.

Black tax

With many South Africans complaining about fulfilling the duties of “black tax” – money given to family members out of obligation – we’d assume that many Powerball winners would prefer to spend 100% of their winnings on themselves.

Unwanted attention

If you suddenly become R10 million or richer, friends, family members, and even strangers will likely come knocking on your door for handouts.

Splashing your cash

Unless you want to appear on an episode of I Blew It, lotto winners are likely keen to keep their spending sprees – and how they choose to spend their money – a secret. On the plus side, Ithuba – the SA national lottery operator – has revealed that it offers all winners financial and trauma counselling for free.

Media scrutiny

Announcing you have won the Powerball is likely to get you prying eyes from strangers. The media are also likely to intrude on your private life.

WOULD YOU QUIT YOUR JOB IF YOU WON THE POWERBALL LOTTO?

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