The National Lottery draw machines now have names!
Following a competition run by Sizekhaya,four South Africans have been selected as the winners ofthe Name the Machine competition. Each winner receives R2 500 in prize money, as well as the opportunity to visitthe live draw studio and press the button that starts a National Lottery draw.
The two PowerBall machines have been named Mpumelelo (meaning success, prosperity and achievement) and Grace (meaning kindness and favour). The winning names were submitted by Khotso Moshane and Nokulunga Magwaza.
The two LOTTO machines have been named Maninginingi (meaning abundance and plenty) and Mpendulo (meaning answer or respond). The winning names were submitted by Lesego Melwa and Edward Mathe.
Three ofthe winners are from Gauteng, while one winner hails from Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sizekhaya Head of Marketing, Kgothatso Mashile said the competition was about giving South Africans the opportunity to make the National Lottery even more their own.
“From the day we became the operator ofthe National Lottery, we said we wanted South Africans to feelthatthis is their National Lottery. Inviting the public to help name the draw machines was a simple but meaningful way of bringing people closerto the brand.
“The response was fantastic. Thousands of people took part, and we’re delighted to introduce the machines by the names that South Africans themselves chose. Congratulations to ourfour winners.”
The competition invited members ofthe public to submit suggested names via the Sizekhaya website. The two most popular names for each game were declared the winners, after which a random draw selected the winning entrants in accordance with the competition rules.
The newly named machines will now become familiar characters in the live National Lottery draws watched by millions of South Africans each week. As always,the machines used for each draw are selected atrandom on draw day, ensuring the integrity and fairness ofthe draw process.
“Every National Lottery draw is about hope, anticipation and possibility. We are delighted thatthese machines now carry names chosen by the very people they serve,” Mashile says.