The "real" ancestry of Hendrik Venter is unknown. Even his "real" surname is unknown at this stage. One of the ways to track the South African Venter family, is to do a DNA test. Although it might not highlight the Venter ancestry directly, it will (over time) narrow down their origins. Of course, for South Africans, it will plot you in terms of the local Venters. So far, every South African Venter tested, indicated belonging to the R1a1a1b1a1-M458 haplogroup. However, if you were led to believe that Hendrik was of German descent, or the same person as Heinrich von Dempter (from Hameln, Germany), you have been mislead! See sections under Venter History and FAQ.

 At this stage, this Group is primarily found as follows (April 2014):

You can also view the above, dynamically, at ySearch.org.

When you view the R1a distribution map, you will notice that there is not a single marker in South Africa. This is because none of the tested South African Venters gave Hendrik Venter as their ancestor. Instead, they have depicted Heinrich von Dempter in Germany, as their ancestor. This is of course incorrect, or at least, unconfirmed. To see how the human genome has spread, and where Venter fit in (genetically), click on the image below (copyright acknowledged from Familytreedna.com).

 How to interpret DNA results: Click here

For more information, and to participate, you can visit the following sites:
  Venter Surname DNA Project
  To Request and Submit Your Own DNA
  South African Family Tree Based on Tested DNA
  Family Tree DNA
  Germany DNA Project
  Journal of Genetic Genealogy