With hours left before her ticket could expire, a South African woman walked into a National Lottery Ithuba office and walked out R834,541.00 richer. According to the Lottery operator, the woman had ignored calls about her winning ticket from the February 5, 2025, draw. For 364 days, she went about her life unaware that a new car or a holiday was right in front of her.
All lottery tickets are valid for a period of 365 days. On February 5, 2026, the very last day it could be claimed, the winner finally arrived at an ITHUBA office after answering a call that informed her ticket was expiring that same day. The winning ticket was bought via the Absa Banking App, using the quick pick selection method with a R600 wager.
She told Ithuba that on the day she claimed her prize, she had been attending a funeral. “Throughout the day, her phone rang repeatedly, showing more than 30 missed calls. “She ignored them, assuming they were spam or robocalls.
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“The winner admits she has developed a habit of ignoring unknown numbers because many of them are automated calls and scams. “It was only when she eventually answered a call and was informed that her National Lottery ticket was expiring that day, and that she needed to urgently visit an ITHUBA office, that the reality began to sink in.”
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