The Chief Operations Officer of the new steward of the South African National Lottery has celebrated the creation of “many new millionaires” during its first 100 days in charge.
Sizekhaya Holdings took charge of South Africa’s National Lottery in June this year. The consortium replaced Ithuba Holdings as operator, Ithuba being the long-time lottery operator.
According to news outlet The South African, the first 100 days of Sizekhaya management has seen more than R1bn (£45.9m) won in major jackpots and via the launch of new lottery game products.
Big wins were recorded across typical National Lottery draw games, the Powerball, Powerball Xtra, Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto 5 Max.
“We are delighted to have created so many new millionaires and to have paid prizes ranging from everyday wins to truly life-changing jackpots,” said Fundi Sithebe, Sizekhaya’s COO.
“The National Lottery is a national asset and managing it on behalf of the people of South Africa is both a privilege and a profound responsibility,” she continued.
“We began this journey with the ambition to create more winners, more often, while protecting the integrity of every game and making the National Lottery more accessible and engaging.
“These first 100 days are only the beginning. We look forward to the remainder of our tenure with confidence, energy and, yes, considerable anticipation.”
Sizekhaya won the tender to run the South African National Lottery in 2024, in a contest overseen by the country’s National Lottery Commission (NLC) and Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau.
Ithuba continued managing the lottery under a temporary one-year contract as both it and Sizekhaya prepared for the transition period this summer.
The contest was mired in controversy throughout, however, with scrutiny relating to allegations of connections between companies participating in the contest and government officials.
Tau staunchly defended the contest, stating that although it was a “close race and a tight finish”, Sizekhaya eventually “pipped the others to the post” with a “well-balanced bid”.
Controversy continued to surface during the lottery transition process, with players complaining about delays in winnings payments.
Nonetheless, Sithebe told The South African that the company was confident it had delivered a “smooth transition and a reliable National Lottery service from day one”.