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Friends fight over Lotto money
17/05/2005 08:40 - (SA)
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| Maria van Rooyen lashes out at photographers outside the Bronkhorstspruit magistrate's court.
(Deaan Vivier, Beeld)
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Christel Raubenheimer , Beeld
Johannesburg - One lottery ticket. Two friends. More than R23m and a dispute over whose ticket it was.
The drama over this valuable Lotto ticket continued in the Bronkhorstspruit magistrate's court on Monday where Johanna Mahlangu maintained in her testimony that she was the rightful owner of the winning ticket.
Mahlangu testified she heard only four numbers of the jackpot at first and later asked Maria van Rooyen, the accused, whether she had heard the other two numbers.
Van Rooyen is accused of writing her name on the back of a lottery ticket that allegedly belonged to Mahlangu and claiming the winnings. She denies making any false statements or committing fraud.
Mahlangu testified that she initially wanted to keep the winning ticket with her, but later agreed to give it to Van Rooyen so that she could find out how much money Mahlangu had won.
Van Rooyen's defence claimed, however, that although Mahlangu might have provided the winning numbers, Van Rooyen had paid for the ticket.
During cross-examination, Mahlangu testified she never said she was the rightful owner of the ticket when she was in the Uthingo office (which manages the lottery) in Pretoria.
She said Van Rooyen told her to keep quiet because she (Van Rooyen) had already submitted a copy of her identity document to the shop where the ticket was bought.
She also testified that she signed a document in which she agreed to drop the criminal case against Van Rooyen if Van Rooyen paid her R10m. She did receive this money, Mahlangu testified, but later "changed her mind" and realised that she was going to lose a lot of money.
An optimistic Van Rooyen left the court on Monday with three lawyers from Biccari, Bollo and Mariano.
Mahlangu hid in the back of a car as it left the court grounds.
The case will continue next week.
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