The prayers of a Brakpan priest were answered when he ended up winning the R7.2 million in the Lotto Plus jackpot. The priest chose to remain anonymous and had scored a joint win with a woman in the North West from Lichtenburg, who also preferred to remain anonymous. They shared the total jackpot worth R14 million that had been the top prize in the draw on October 24th. 

Not only did the two lottery winners used the same numbers for buying their ticket, they had chosen their numbers manually and had also bought the tickets for a cost of R20. The priest disclosed that he had been praying to God for granting him financial freedom. He said that for months, he had been praying for God’s intervention and had asked him to ease his financial burdens, so he would be able to take care of his kids and also do more for the church. 

He disclosed that his prayers had increased in intensity from July of this year because he had begun to feel a lot of pressure and had even ‘fought’ with God. The winner said that he had asked God to not forsake him when he had proven to be such a loyal servant all along. He went on to say that he had visited his wife’s grave a couple of days before playing the lottery and had pleaded with her to talk to God on behalf of their family. He said that she was a spiritual being, so she was a lost closer to God now. 

He had then gone to check his tickets and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had bagged the Lotto Plus 2 jackpot. When he was asked about his plans with the money, the priest said that there were three things that topped his lost; ensuring that his children’s basic needs were taken care of and their education was paid for, contributing to the church and renovating his parent’s house. He also said that he had no plans of telling anyone, other than his kids, that he had won the lottery. He said it would remain a private matter between him and his kids. 

As far as the second winner is concerned, she simply said that she wished to purchase a house and then retire. She also wanted to keep the news of her winnings confidential.