From a funeral to R834,541: Western Cape Lotto winner claims prize after 30 missed calls

According to The South African, a Western Cape woman who bought a Lotto Plus 2 ticket on 5 February 2025 discovered she had won R834,541.00 only after answering dozens of missed calls on the day she attended a funeral.

Quick Pick purchase turned into a life-changing prize

The prize-winning ticket was purchased via the Absa banking app using a Quick Pick selection with a R600 wager, according to The South African.

Ignored calls, persistent outreach and a last-day claim

Throughout that day, her phone showed more than 30 missed calls, which she ignored because she assumed they were spam or robocalls, The South African reports. Lottery staff continued to try to reach her; their persistence paid off when she finally answered and was guided to the Claremont claims office on the last day her ticket could be claimed, the report says.

From mourning to celebration

On the day she claimed her prize she had attended a funeral. Reflecting on the rollercoaster of emotions, she told reporters:

“I couldn’t believe it. I had gone from attending a funeral to claiming over R800,000 on the very same day. It was emotional, overwhelming and completely unexpected,” she said.

Advice to other players

According to The South African, the winner urged fellow players to check their tickets and banking notifications regularly, noting that prizes must be claimed within the permitted timeframe.

The episode highlights the importance of checking missed calls and notifications when playing lottery games, and the role of claims teams in reaching winners who may not immediately know they have won.