Lotto R23.5 million jackpot still unclaimed: Is the winner ignoring their bank?

This is a separate case from the recent Soweto PowerBall R93.5 million story, an entirely different jackpot, a different game, and a different winner still unaccounted for.

A Lotto jackpot worth R23 555 348.50, drawn on 13 June, has been sitting unclaimed for months, with no indication the winner has come forward.

The winning ticket was bought on 13 June through an Absa banking app, and as of the most recent reporting, the winner still hasn’t claimed their prize.

A different game, the same story

Sizekhaya COO Fundi Sithebe raised the case during a Radio 702 interview with Bongani Bingwa in late August, describing it as one of several prize winners the operator is actively trying to locate.

It appears that banking app winners simply aren’t checking their numbers – and some are mistaking their bank’s attempts to contact them for spam.

Sithebe explained that banks automatically transfer smaller winnings into customers’ accounts when tickets are bought through banking apps, but for genuinely large prizes, banks will reach out directly through calls, SMSs and WhatsApp messages.

“Please, sometimes it’s actually not spam,” she said.

“It’s the real deal.”

Why this keeps happening

Digital ticket purchases have made playing the Lotto more convenient than ever, but they’ve also created a strange side effect: winners who never physically hold a ticket sometimes forget they played at all, or overlook the win entirely in a sea of banking app notifications.

Sithebe pointed to everyday life simply getting in the way, with work and family commitments meaning some players buy a ticket and never think about it again.

The clock hasn’t stopped

Official National Lottery records list the claim deadline for this specific ticket as 13 June 2027, giving the winner a full year from the draw date.

If it passes unclaimed, the money moves to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund to support good causes instead.

It’s honestly a little hectic to think there’s a real, confirmed jackpot just sitting there. Somewhere, someone’s bank balance is about to look very different the moment they finally check.

Did you buy a Lotto ticket through your banking app back in June?

Let us know in the comments below…

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