R178 million Powerball winner still missing as Ithuba hunts for instant millionaire

Mapaballo Borotho

Ithuba is searching for an FNB participant who won the R178 million PowerBall jackpot on Tuesday night.
The winning ticket was bought for just R15, making it one of the biggest lottery wins in South Africa’s history.
Both the PowerBall and PowerBall Plus jackpots will continue to grow ahead of Friday’s draw.

A new millionaire has emerged in the country, and Ithuba is searching for an FNB participant who won the massive R178 million PowerBall jackpot on Tuesday.

One lucky South African has the chance to change their life simply by stepping forward to claim their winnings.

If you are the lucky winner Ithuba is looking for, you are nearly R179 million richer after correctly predicting the five drawn numbers as well as the bonus ball.

Ithuba has confirmed that the R178 million PowerBall jackpot was won on Tuesday night and is still awaiting collection.

Speaking on behalf of Ithuba, Naledi Msibi confirmed the win.

“Ithuba confirms that the jackpot of over R178 million was won by an FNB participant on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, with just a R15 wager ticket. This is the second-largest jackpot in the history of the South African lottery,” she said.

The PowerBall Plus numbers drawn were 2, 3, 16, 17 and 35, with the bonus ball being 5.

Following the win, the PowerBall jackpot now stands at an estimated R5 million for the next draw on Friday, 23 January.

Meanwhile, there were no winners of Tuesday’s PowerBall Plus jackpot, pushing the prize pool up to an estimated R6 million for the next draw on Friday, 23 January.