South Africa’s lottery players urged to check ‘spam’ messages as more than US$7.5m goes unclaimed
Sizekhaya says players may be overlooking legitimate bank notifications as more than R120m in Lotto and PowerBall prizes remain unclaimed.
South Africa.- South Africa’s National Lottery operator Sizekhaya is urging players to check messages they may have dismissed as spam, as more than R120m (US$7.5m) in Lotto and PowerBall prizes remain unclaimed, including a R93.5m (US$5.9m) PowerBall jackpot.
Sizekhaya COO Fundi Sithebe raised the issue during a Radio 702 interview on August 27, highlighting the growing number of unclaimed lottery prizes, according to EWN. “People have probably bought their tickets on their apps online and are just not checking the numbers, or probably thinking that it’s spam when the bank is calling them to alert them,” said Sithebe.
The biggest prize currently awaiting a claimant is a R93,523,480 (US$5.9m) PowerBall jackpot won in the August 21 2026 draw. The winning ticket was purchased in Molapo, Soweto, but the winner had not come forward as of 27 August.
Sizekhaya is also trying to locate the winner of a R23,555,348.50 (US$1.5m) Lotto jackpot. Sithebe said: “We’re still waiting for somebody who bought a ticket on the 13th of June for R23 million off an Absa banking app.”
Winners urged to check
Sithebe said. “We’re begging people, please come get the millions.” For larger prizes, Sithebe said banks may contact winners directly through several channels. “Your bank will call you or send you notifications to say you are a high-tier winner,” she said, explaining that communications can include SMS, WhatsApp messages and phone calls. “Please, sometimes it’s actually not spam. It’s the real deal.”
Sithebe said everyday pressures can also mean players overlook their entries. “We still need you as the person that’s bought the ticket… to check your tickets, to check your numbers and to come forward to say that you’ve won,” she said.
Lottery prizes are subject to a 365-day claim period. The National Lottery’s published guidance states that winners have 365 days from the date of the winning draw to claim their prize. If the deadline passes without a claim, the prize is allocated to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) for distribution to various good causes, according to the National Lottery’s published guidance.
