Sizekhaya reports strong start after taking over South Africa’s National Lottery
A ticket purchased in KwaZulu-Natal won the first PowerBall jackpot under Sizekhaya since it began operations.
South Africa.- South Africa’s new National Lottery operator, Sizekhaya Holdings, says the first days of its tenure have seen strong ticket sales activity and widespread participation, despite temporary disruptions affecting some digital purchasing channels.
The company, which took over operation of the National Lottery on June 1, confirmed that a ticket purchased in KwaZulu-Natal won the PowerBall jackpot worth R128.6m (€6.7m) during the draw held on June 2. The prize marks the first jackpot winner since Sizekhaya assumed responsibility for the lottery. The winner had not been publicly identified at the time of reporting.
The winning numbers were 2, 10, 22, 28, 49, and PowerBall 7. Lottery records show that more than 5.58 million tickets were sold for the draw, generating sales of about R27.9m (€1.4m). A total of 207,432 winning tickets shared prizes across all divisions.
Sizekhaya said some players experienced difficulties purchasing tickets through selected banking and digital channels during the transition period. According to the company, the issues were detected shortly after launch and are being addressed with banking institutions and retail partners. The operator stated that most lottery transactions have been processed successfully and that system performance continues to improve.
The operator also outlined the scale of its rollout since taking control of the National Lottery. It reported activating more than 5,500 retail terminals nationwide and training over 10,000 retail staff to support ticket sales and customer services. The company has also expanded access through new retail and banking partnerships.
Another notable change under the new licence is the return of live televised lottery draws. The latest PowerBall draw was broadcast on eTV, restoring a format that had been absent from television screens in recent years.
Sizekhaya’s debut follows the end of the previous operating licence and marks the start of an expected eight-year term overseeing South Africa’s National Lottery. The company has introduced revised game structures, including larger advertised jackpots and changes to prize formats, as it establishes operations in the early phase of the new licence period.
