“This Thing Needs to Be Stopped”: Lucky Player Wins R180 Million Lotto Prize, SA Unimpressed
- A single lucky player has become an overnight multi-millionaire after matching all the winning numbers in the latest Powerball draw
- The news was recently shared on X, where the national lottery operator announced the life-changing results from the January 20 2026, event
- Social media users reacted with scepticism and frustration as they questioned the transparency of the lottery system
Source: Getty Images
The national lottery operator Ithuba announced a massive jackpot for one fortunate individual following the latest high-stakes draw.
The news was shared on X by @sa_lottery and immediately drew a flood of comments from viewers, who appeared largely unmoved by the announcement.
Ithuba shared the news of the lucky PowerBall jackpot winner who walked away with R178,955,240 in the draw that took place on January 20 2026. The lucky person matched five numbers and the jackpot after playing 2, 3, 16, 17, and 35, with the bonus number 5. Two people who matched five numbers won R425,827.00 for their efforts.
The lowest winnings of the Powerball jackpot
On the X account @sa_lottery, the national lottery operator detailed that 240,000 players who had a matchball scored R10. Despite the massive payout, the post failed to impress local players who questioned the legitimacy of the winnings.
DON'T MISS IT: Stay Away From Fake News With Our Short, Free Fact-Checking Course. Join And Get Certified!
Source: Getty Images
SA is unimpressed with the latest lottery winnings news
The clip gained massive views and comments from an online community that was in doubt. Many viewers wondered why they had never seen anyone come forward to claim such massive winnings in person. Some commenters expressed that they could not wait for the term of the current service provider to end, citing a perceived lack of transparency as a major issue. They questioned the frequency of single jackpot winners they had been witnessing online lately. One user expressed a wish that the jackpot had been won by an elderly person who often stands in long queues to play their tickets. Despite the negativity, a few users remained hopeful and congratulated the anonymous winner on their incredible fortune.
User @dearDiaryyaka commented:
"You had to beat the whistleblower's deadline date, but it was heading there. Anyways, congratulations to the winner. Hopefully, it's one of those elderly people who are always standing in line at the retail stores."
User @Shotgun_SG asked:
"One person? Yeah, right!"
User @@BaandzMakeHer added:
"You’ve been exposed. Our mkulu’s (grandparents) need to wake up and stop playing this thing."
User @@bhut_sengwayo shared:
"177m lol. No, this thing needs to be stopped. We only get R10. I've never seen someone who's won the big jackpot."
User @MandDLw asked:
"No way. When is the new service provider coming in?"
User @369avatar777 said:
"@RSASIU, could you please look into the Powerball and the lottery of South Africa? This should be easy, as money has a paper trail. People are spending money buying these tickets, at least let people know there is no foul play before it’s too late."
See the X post below:
3 Briefly News lotto-related articles
- A lucky South African kicked off the new year with a life-changing fortune after matching all the winning numbers in the final draw of 2025
- A local man who won the August 27, 2025, R41 million Lotto jackpot, a life-changing sum, shared his plans for his new fortune.
- A pensioner from the Western Cape became a millionaire overnight after winning big in the Lotto Plus 1 jackpot on April 23, 2025.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
