Cape Town – Stanley Philander, 52, a deaf and mute cleaner at a hardware shop in Wynberg, (see a family picture aside) on Friday night, cleaned up instead the lottery jackpot, won over R91m in the South African national lottery’s PowerBall game. This is the largest amount which has been paid out by the SA national lotto so far.
The jackpot had rolled over since 22 November last year for 22 times, and with each passing week grabbed the country’s imagination. Philander’s wife, Diana, 50, is also deaf and mute. They live with their children, Logan, 9, and Kirsten, 6, in a wooden house in a family member’s back yard, apparently somewhere in the Southern suburbs.
Great challenges, stress, lack of safety and pressure from family and the community is what awaits Cape Town’s new instant millionaire. These are the typical things a needy person will experience when he suddenly becomes a millionaire, according to several Cape Town psychologists speaking to Die Burger.
Apparently, before they even claim their millions, they have been approached for money by several people in the community, they’re now staying at an undisclosed location. Several residents of Wynberg, when asked, recognised the man as the deaf man who’d won the “lotto”.
“Now they can fulfil their dreams and improve their standard of living. On the other hand, they can experience a lot of pressure from the community and family. That can become very stressful.”
Dr Ester Niemand, a clinical psychologist, said the family probably feel extremely overwhelmed, helpless and a little lost since they became aware of their new status. It’s possible that they could feel very defenceless because they don’t have control over the situation.
According to Niemand, it wasn’t a wise decision go public with the winner’s identity.
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