Risen From The Dead

Attorney who finds himself in hot water pretends to kick the bucket so his life insurance can fund a future in Mauritius.

- Tania Broughton

It Is the sort of story that myths and legends are built upon; a bizarre country tale with a seri-ous twist. Residents of the close-knit town of Vryheid in northern KwaZulu-Natal are still seething over their “betrayal” by one of the town’s finest sons – a farmer’s boy who after studying at varsity returned home in 2015 to set up a law practice to serve the community.

Jan Adriaan Venter’s fall from grace has been spectacular.

After faking his own death – apparently to avoid the disgrace of being struck from the roll of attorneys for stealing close-to R9 million from his clients’ trust accounts and the likelihood that he would also face serious criminal charges – he was nabbed by police six months later, having been hiding out in a flat on Durban’s beachfront.

There was an added bonus to the faked death scheme: along with his fiancée, Rozanne Prinsloo, the pair had apparently concocted a scheme to defraud Liberty Life out of R25m by claiming his (recently increased) life insurance and they were on their way to King Shaka International Airport, intent on fleeing the country.

“While he is rarely seen, he is still haunting this town after his resurrection,” one resident told Noseweek. Said another: “This is a small town, people talk a lot of kak... but this time they weren’t.”

Venter’s parents had been well-respected in the community; his dad Frik is a farmer, his mom Renata is a teacher. They are churchgoers.

Venter was a star swimmer for the school he attended in Durban.