[2] She served in the National Party government of F. W. de Klerk,[3] and was the first woman in South African history to hold a cabinet post.
[5][6][7][8][9] Under pressure from opposition political parties, Venter publicly committed in 1991 to investigate tobacco legislation.
After consulting with pro- and anti-tobacco lobbyists, Venter decided to introduce the Control of Smoking and Advertising of Tobacco Products Draft Bill, which would give her the power to restrict smoking in certain public places, would make it an offense to sell cigarettes to people under 16, and would further introduce restrictions such as health warnings on advertisements for tobacco products.
[11][12] Venter received recognition for her work to curb tobacco use with an award by the American Cancer Society.
[13] Her department formulated a comprehensive and detailed plan for responding to the nascent AIDS pandemic, which was however hampered by lack of funding.