Phosa's former house manager comes clean

13 October 2015 - 02:02 By Shaun Smillie

Former Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosa and his one-time house manager Jan Venter have kissed and made up following a fallout characterised by accusations and counter-accusations.Phosa and Venter shook hands in Fourways, Johannesburg, yesterday. With the renewed friendship, Venter has deposed an affidavit in which he claims he never read any of Phosa's personal notes or saw the so-called spy document that allegedly accused Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza of being an apartheid-era spy.Venter said six months after resigning from his job, he was approached by Mabuza's office and requested to provide it with information about Phosa's family life and to claim that he (Venter) had overheard discussions that the spy document had been planned by the former premier.Phosa and Venter said they had had a personal disagreement that led to the resignation.Venter also said Mabuza's officials had wanted to know if he had overheard discussions by Phosa and former human settlements minister Tokyo Sexwale about bankrolling Julius Malema's Economic Freedom Fighters.At that time he was in contact with members of the State Security Agency, National Intelligence Agency and officials in the Presidency. He said he began to fear for his life after being followed. On one occasion he was allegedly shot at.Three weeks ago Venter's mother, Vernie, asked Phosa to patch things up with her son.Venter has given Phosa a file of documents regarding his alleged dealings with Mabuza and his "allies".Phosa said he was studying the documents and would hand them over to the ANC...

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