PowerBall Draw Days in South Africa: Tuesday and Friday

South African PowerBall is drawn twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday evenings, at about 21:00 South Africa Standard Time. Absa’s lotto and PowerBall guide confirms both days, a 21:00 draw and a 20:30 ticket cut-off. The days did not change when the national lottery moved to a new operator in 2026, so your routine stays the same. The rest of this guide covers what the evening looks like, what happens around public holidays, and how to avoid missing a draw.

TL;DR

• PowerBall is drawn every Tuesday and Friday, so you get two chances a week.
• The draw is at about 21:00 SAST, and tickets must be bought before the 20:30 cut-off to count for that night.
• PowerBall XTRA (the add-on game) is drawn on the same two nights, straight after the main draw.
• A draw that lands on a bank holiday such as Christmas Day can be rescheduled, so check before you plan around it.
• Lotto and Daily Lotto run on different schedules. Do not assume every lottery game follows the PowerBall days.

Table of Contents

• What days is PowerBall drawn in South Africa?
• What time is the PowerBall draw?
• The 20:30 cut-off: when your ticket counts
• PowerBall XTRA: same nights, straight after
• Public holidays and rescheduled draws
• Do all South African lottery games share these days?
• How to check your results
• Our perspective
• Betting on more than the numbers?
• A simple weekly routine for PowerBall players
• FAQ
• Sources

What days is PowerBall drawn in South Africa?

Tuesday and Friday. That is the whole answer, and every reliable source agrees on it. Absa, which lets customers buy tickets through its banking channels, lists Tuesday and Friday as the PowerBall draw days. When the lottery moved to its new operator in June 2026, The South African reported that PowerBall draws stayed on Tuesdays and Fridays each week.

In a typical week the pattern looks like this:

The game has been running for a long time. According to the PowerBall FAQ page, the first draw took place on 23 October 2009, and the PowerBall Plus add-on began on 1 December 2015. The Tuesday and Friday rhythm is part of what players are used to, and it has held steady through those changes.

A quick way to check the pattern

Recent results follow the schedule without exception. In October 2026, for example, the draws fell on Tuesday 13 October, Friday 16 October, Tuesday 20 October and Friday 23 October. Two draws a week, three or four days apart, never on a Saturday or Sunday. If you ever see a draw date that breaks that pattern, it is almost certainly a holiday reschedule or a different game.

What time is the PowerBall draw?

The published draw time is 21:00 SAST. You will see the time written as “9 pm”, “21:00” or “21h00” depending on the site, but it is the same moment. Powerball.net’s FAQ gives it as 21:00 South Africa Standard Time.

A few sites quote slightly different minutes, such as 20:58. Treat that as the broadcast starting just before nine, not a different schedule. The practical rule is simple: treat 21:00 as the draw and 20:30 as your deadline. The operator can adjust timings at its discretion, so the official schedule always wins over any third-party page, including this one.

South Africa has one time zone

SAST is UTC+2 all year. South Africa does not use daylight saving time, so the draw does not move relative to the clock in summer or winter. If you are reading from abroad, convert from UTC+2, and remember that your own clocks may shift while ours do not.

The 20:30 cut-off: when your ticket counts

This is where most missed chances happen. Absa states that tickets bought after the 20:30 cut-off go into the following draw, not the one that night. A ticket bought at 20:45 on Tuesday is therefore a Friday ticket.

Some examples:

1. Tuesday 19:00: your ticket is in the Tuesday draw.
2. Tuesday 20:29: still in the Tuesday draw, though cutting it close on a busy evening is risky.
3. Tuesday 20:45: your ticket goes into Friday’s draw.
4. Friday 21:30: your ticket goes into the next Tuesday draw.

If you buy through a banking app or a retailer’s terminal, aim to be done by 20:00. Slow networks, queues at a till and load-shedding-related outages are all ordinary reasons for a purchase to slip past the cut-off. If you want your numbers in a specific draw, buy early in the day.

PowerBall XTRA: same nights, straight after

PowerBall XTRA is the add-on you can play alongside the main game. It uses the same numbers on your ticket and is drawn on the same nights. Per the PowerBall FAQ, the XTRA draws take place shortly after the main PowerBall draw every Tuesday and Friday night.

So there are no extra draw days to remember. One ticket, one evening, two draws back to back. We explain the add-on, its cost and how the June 2026 rebrand changed the name in our guide to the PowerBall Plus rebrand and R2.50 XTRA. Read that if you are not sure what you are paying for on your slip.

Public holidays and rescheduled draws

A normal Tuesday or Friday is predictable. A holiday is not always. The PowerBall FAQ says that if a draw falls on a bank holiday, such as Christmas Day, it will be rescheduled. Absa adds that Good Friday and Christmas Day draw arrangements have to be confirmed well ahead, no later than 90 days before the day itself, which tells you that holiday dates are fixed in advance and not decided on the night (Absa).

What that means for you:

• Good Friday falls on a Friday every year, so it is the one holiday that regularly collides with a PowerBall night.
• Christmas Day and 26 December can collide depending on the year’s calendar.
• Other public holidays that land on a Tuesday or Friday are worth a quick check.

We will not print a holiday calendar here, because it would go out of date. Before any public holiday that falls on a Tuesday or Friday, look at the operator’s official announcement or your retailer’s notice and confirm the new day and time. If you use a subscription or a recurring purchase, check what happens to it when a draw moves.

Do all South African lottery games share these days?

No. PowerBall is a Tuesday and Friday game. Lotto and its Plus draws run on a different pair of days, and Daily Lotto runs every day. If you play several games, it helps to keep a short note on your phone rather than relying on memory. The most common mix-up is a player who buys on a Wednesday expecting a PowerBall draw that night, when the next one is Friday.

A second, smaller mix-up involves the playing format. PowerBall asks you to pick five main numbers and a separate PowerBall number, so the ticket looks different from a standard Lotto slip. Check the slip before you leave the counter.

How to check your results

Plan the evening in three steps:

1. Buy before 20:30 on the draw night.
2. Watch the draw or wait for results after 21:00. Results are normally published within a short time, and the most recent draws appear first on results pages.
3. Check every line, including your XTRA line, against the main numbers and the PowerBall number.

Two habits are worth building. First, keep your slip or your digital receipt safe. According to the PowerBall FAQ, prizes must be claimed within 365 days of the draw date, and a lost ticket is hard to argue about. Second, use the operator’s own channels for the final word on any prize. A results page is a convenience; the official result is the one that counts.

If you play with numbers you pick yourself, it also helps to track how they perform over time. Our piece on testing lucky numbers across 20 to 50 draws shows a simple way to do that without fooling yourself, and our note on lowering split-jackpot risk explains why popular number patterns share prizes more often.

Our perspective

We get the same question from readers every week, and the answer is almost boring: Tuesday and Friday. The real trouble is never the day. It is the 20:30 cut-off, the holiday that moves a draw, and the assumption that the other lottery games run on the same nights.

We test bookmakers and write about betting with real money, and the lesson carries over to lotteries. Know the rules of the product before you spend on it. Set a budget before you buy, treat a ticket as entertainment and not as income, and never chase a rollover because a jackpot looks large. PowerBall is a game of chance, and no schedule, lucky number or timing trick changes your odds in any draw.

One more point. Only play with operators and channels that are licensed in South Africa. If you are unsure what that means for gambling online, our guide to whether online betting is legal in South Africa explains how to check a licence before you hand over your details.

— Nkosi

Betting on more than the numbers?

If PowerBall is one of several things you play, it helps to have one trusted place to compare options. Bet Mzansi reviews licensed South African bookmakers after hands-on, real-money testing, and we keep our ratings independent of any commercial relationship. Our reviews cover bonuses, payouts and safety, so you can see how a site treats your money before you register.

Start on the Bet Mzansi homepage to browse our reviews, registration and FICA guides, and deposit and withdrawal walkthroughs. If you already know you want a pool-style soccer game, our comparison of SportStake 13 and TAB Soccer 13 is a good next step. Please gamble responsibly, and only if you are 18 or older.

A simple weekly routine for PowerBall players

A routine removes most of the risk of missing a draw. Here is one that works for most people:

• Tuesday and Friday morning: decide whether you are playing and how much you are willing to spend. Write the amount down.
• Tuesday and Friday before 20:00: buy your ticket. If you are using an app, check that the purchase shows as confirmed.
• After 21:00: check the results once. Do not keep refreshing.
• Within the week: if you won anything, note the date. You have up to 365 days to claim, but there is no reason to wait.
• Before any holiday: look at the schedule for the week.

If you play with friends or colleagues, one person should hold the slip and everyone should agree in writing who gets what share. Disputes over shared tickets are among the most common after a win, and a short message in your group chat settles them in advance.

Budgeting for two draws a week

Because PowerBall runs twice a week, small amounts add up. Add your weekly total to a monthly figure and ask whether you are comfortable with it. If the answer is no, cut back. If you find yourself buying extra lines to “make up” for a loss, take a break. In South Africa, you can get free, confidential support from the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation if gambling is causing you harm.

FAQ

Is PowerBall drawn on Wednesdays or Saturdays?

No. PowerBall is drawn only on Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesday and Saturday are Lotto nights, which is why the two games are often confused. If you want PowerBall, buy your ticket before 20:30 on a Tuesday or Friday.

What time is the PowerBall draw in South Africa?

The draw is at about 21:00 SAST on both nights, with PowerBall XTRA following straight after. Ticket sales close at 20:30, according to Absa. Some sites show a time a couple of minutes earlier, which reflects when the broadcast starts.

What happens if I buy a ticket after the cut-off?

Your ticket is not wasted, but it is entered into the next draw instead. A Tuesday ticket bought at 20:45 plays on Friday. If you wanted a specific night, buy earlier in the day.

Does PowerBall move for public holidays?

Sometimes. A draw that falls on a bank holiday, such as Christmas Day, can be rescheduled. Check the official schedule or your retailer’s notice before any holiday that lands on a Tuesday or Friday.

Did the draw days change when the lottery operator changed?

No. After the June 2026 operator transition, PowerBall stayed on Tuesdays and Fridays. Other details, such as branding and ticket names, did change, so read your slip carefully.

Sources

• Absa: Easily play Lotto, Daily Lotto and PowerBall on your phone
• The South African: Sizekhaya lottery now live, what’s new
• Frequently Asked Questions: SA PowerBall

Recommended

• 2026 PowerBall Plus Rebrand in South Africa, R2.50 XTRA (Nkosi)
• South African Lucky Numbers: Test Game Specific Picks Over 20–50 Draws