Draft:Jan Hendrik Stephanus Venter

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Jan Hendrik Stephanus Venter was previously the house manager of Mathews Phosa and was reported on in connection with legal proceedings involving Phosa and the then premier of Mpumalanga, David Mabuza. In May 2016, City Press reported that Venter had given evidence in the High Court in connection with a contested intelligence report which had been sent to the African National Congress and included allegations about Mabuza.

Venter was the subject of further press reports after he entered South Africa's witness protection programme. The Citizen reported in August 2019 that he had remained in the programme for about 15 months before being taken out of it. In September 2019, City Press reported that both the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority had confirmed that an investigation based on evidence provided by Venter was still ongoing at that time.

Mabuza–Phosa litigation

Venter worked for Phosa at his home in the Hazyview area, and the High Court's judgment in Mabuza v Phosa stated that he had been employed as Phosa's housekeeper from about the end of 2013.

The legal action came about after an intelligence report making allegations concerning Mabuza had been circulated. Phosa stated that the document had been handed over anonymously and that he had passed it on to senior officials of the ANC for investigation. Mabuza then brought a defamation claim against Phosa, saying that Phosa had been involved in preparing the report. Venter became a key witness in the case after claiming that he had seen Phosa and businessman Nick Elliot working on the document.

Venter's evidence and his earlier affidavits were examined during the proceedings. At the time, it was reported that he had supplied different accounts at various stages of the dispute, including claims relating to payments made to him and the circumstances under which his affidavits had been produced. The High Court eventually reached the conclusion that Venter's evidence lacked credibility. It regarded his evidence as unreliable and decided that Mabuza had not proved, on a balance of probabilities, that Phosa had created or taken part in the creation of the contested intelligence report.

Mabuza's claim was dismissed.

Witness protection and later investigation

Venter later made additional allegations concerning Mabuza and approached law-enforcement authorities. According to The Citizen in August 2019, Venter had been in the witness protection programme for about 15 months and a Hawks investigator was handling allegations that he had supplied.

In September 2019, City Press reported that the National Prosecuting Authority had discharged Venter from the witness protection programme because he had failed to comply with the conditions of the programme. The publication also reported that both the Hawks and the NPA had confirmed that an investigation based on evidence provided by Venter was still ongoing.

Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi told City Press that investigators were examining the complaints provided by Venter to establish their veracity and whether any culpability arose. The NPA said that a decision on whether to prosecute would be made after the outstanding investigations had been completed.

When questioned about the earlier findings, the NPA stated that no credibility determination had been made regarding the facts of the later matter.