The Attack and Incredible Survival of Alison Botha
On the evening of 18 December 1994, Alison Botha, a young woman living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, faced a harrowing ordeal that would forever alter her life. She endured one of the most brutal attacks imaginable and, against all odds, survived. Her story is not just about what happened that night, but also about how she rebuilt her life, becoming a symbol of resilience and an advocate for hope.
The Attack: A Night of Unimaginable Violence
Alison Botha was 27 years old at the time of the attack. After a day that had been idyllic, spending the afternoon at the beach with friends in Port Elizabeth, one of the largest cities in South Africa. Afterwards, everyone had gone back to Alison’s apartment to eat pizza and play Balderdash.
That night, she had promised to drop one of her friends Kim home afterwards, and now it was around 1am on Sunday morning. On her return home Alison discovered she had lost her very convenient car spot right outside her apartment, and searched for another within walking distance.
Then, she found it. There was a space under a big tree; big enough to block the street lights on an already poorly lit road.
Alison was looking forward to getting into bed after a cool shower, and so pulled in and reached over to get her clean laundry out of the passenger seat to bring upstairs.
That’s when she felt a gust of warm air. The car door had been flung open, and standing before her was a scrawny but tall young man with blonde hair.
Immediately, Alison spotted the knife.
“Move over or I’ll kill you,” the man said to her in a low, matter-of-fact voice. She did exactly what he said.
He climbed into the driver’s seat, and put his foot on the accelerator. After a few moments he assured her, “I don’t want to hurt you I just want to use your car for an hour.” At that point, Alison chose believed him.
She considered jumping out of the moving car, but found herself frozen. She begged the man, who called himself Clinton, to take the car and leave her. But he refused.
He had something he needed to do. Someone owed him money. He wouldn’t be long.This man, later identified as Frans du Toit, drove her to a secluded area, where they were joined by another man, Theuns Kruger.
What followed was an assault so violent that it defied comprehension. The two men repeatedly raped her, strangled her to the point of unconsciousness, but the strangulation wasn't enough to kill Alison. Frustrated, du Toit and Kruger took their brutality to the next level. They stabbed Alison at least 30 times in the abdomen. Alison later recalled that du Toit specifically wanted to mutilate her reproductive organs. But somehow, the attackers missed those specific parts of her body.
When Botha’s leg twitched, du Toit and Kruger decided the job wasn’t quite done yet. They then slit her throat — 16 times.
“All I could see was an arm moving above my face,” Alison Botha later recalled.
“Left and right and left and right. His movements were making a sound. A wet sound, it was the sound of my flesh being slashed open. He was cutting my throat with the knife. Again and again and again.”
Alison would later describe that the stabbings felt abstract, “It felt unreal but it wasn’t,” she said. “I felt no pain, but it was not a dream. This was happening. The man was slashing my throat.”
As the men finally stepped back, Alison heard them talking in Afrikaans. “Do you think she’s dead?” one of the attackers asked. “No one can survive that,” the other replied.
Believing that they had killed her, du Toit and Kruger drove away. But little did they know that Botha was still breathing.
Lying on the ground amongst the dirt and sand Alison knew “I had to at least leave a clue about who did this to me.” She decided to write the names of her attackers in the dirt. Then, beneath that, she wrote, “I love Mum.”
But soon, Alison realised she might have a chance to survive.
In the distance, she could see headlights, When Alison Botha moved toward the headlights she realised the full extent of her injuries. As she pulled herself up, her head started to fall backward — since she had nearly been decapitated.
Meanwhile, she could also feel something slimy protruding from her abdomen — her intestines. She had to use one hand to keep her organs from spilling out and the other hand to literally hold on to her own head.
Botha recalled, “As I struggled forward my sight faded in and out and I fell many times but managed to get up again until I finally reached the road.”
There, she collapsed along the white line. Even in her disoriented state, she knew that this was the best position to attract the attention of a motorist.
Fortunately, Botha didn’t have to wait for long. A young veterinary student named Tiaan Eilerd, who was visiting Port Elizabeth on holiday from Johannesburg, saw Botha lying in the middle of the road and stopped.
“God put me on that road that night for a reason,” Eilerd later said.
He used his veterinary training to tuck Botha’s exposed thyroid back inside her body. Then, Eilerd called emergency services for help.
Alison Botha was rushed to the hospital, where doctors were stunned by her horrific wounds. One doctor, Alexander Angelov, later said that he had never seen such severe injuries in his 16 years of practicing medicine.
Botha was on the brink of death. But she managed to pull through — and she also remembered everything about her attackers. She was soon able to identify them from police pictures while she was still in the hospital. This led to the speedy arrest of the “Ripper Rapists,” as they were called in the press.
The subsequent “Noordhoek Ripper Trial” captured the attention of South Africans everywhere. Both Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger pled guilty to eight charges, which included kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder.
The case was significant not only for the heinous nature of the crime but also for Alison’s role in ensuring justice. Her decision to publicly testify and waive her anonymity sent a strong message, breaking the stigma around discussing sexual violence.They were both found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in August 1995. But after serving 28 years, both were granted parole in July 2023 and placed under supervision.
On her Facebook page, Alison Botha wrote that “The day I hoped and prayed would never come. When I was asked ‘How will you feel if they ever get parole?’ – my immediate answer was always – ‘I’m hoping I’ll never find out.'”
Rebuilding a Life: From Survivor to Advocate
Alison’s recovery was not just physical but emotional and psychological. The scars on her body were a visible reminder of her ordeal, but the deeper battle was regaining control of her life. With the support of friends, family, and a strong will, she began to rebuild.
Over time, Alison turned her focus outward, sharing her story to inspire and help others. Her memoir, I Have Life, written with journalist Marianne Thamm, became a bestseller. The book is not just a recounting of her attack but also a testament to her resilience and the strength it takes to reclaim one’s life after trauma.
Alison’s story reached a wider audience when it was adapted into a film in 2016. While revisiting her ordeal was undoubtedly difficult, she saw it as an opportunity to amplify her message of survival and hope.
Advocacy and Inspirational Speaking
In the years following the attack, Alison became a sought-after speaker, travelling internationally to share her story. Her speeches focus on overcoming adversity, the power of the human spirit, and finding purpose after trauma. Audiences are often struck by her calm demeanour and her ability to address such a personal topic with honesty and grace.
She also worked to raise awareness about violence against women, contributing to broader conversations about gender-based violence in South Africa, a country where such issues remain tragically prevalent.
Later Life: Finding Joy and Purpose
Despite the immense challenges Alison faced, she built a fulfilling life. She found joy in motherhood, raising two sons who became her focus and inspiration. While her experiences shaped her worldview, she chose not to let them define her entire life.
Alison's Health Struggle Today
Now, after building a life of hope and spreading a message of triumph over the worst kind of adversary, the 57-year-old Alison Botha is again fighting for her life.
She suffered a brain aneurysm in October
The scars and physical damage caused by the brutal attack on her has remained a challenge as doctors at a state hospital in Cape Town navigate the process of her recovery.
Alison does not have a medical aid and there have been many who have called for her to be transferred to a private facility. This is not financially possible, as Alison is the breadwinner and will not be able to do her work as an author and public speaker for the foreseeable future.
On October the 29th, Alison gave this update via her Facebook page
Hi this is Alison.
It’s been a while After a month, I am able to personally update you on my recovery this far.
I am still in hospital and starting the long journey of rehabilitation. I have been assessed by the doctors and physio therapists and have been informed that I can soon be transferred to a specialist rehabilitation centre, because of the generosity of so many selfless people. Thank you.
I can use my right arm, but unfortunately cannot sit up independently, stand or walk.
At least my sight has improved! My only brother Neale has been reduced from 9 to 3 versions of him.
I hope you approve of my new haircut, courtesy of Neale and my legal people Hannelie and Tania (I think they should stick to their day jobs). You can all vote on that later.
I am still a bit shocked. I am still nervous, and still worried about the journey ahead, but I am a fighter as so many of you have reminded me. I have been through worse, and very determined to make a full recovery.
I am thinking about you all and ask you to continue keeping me in your thoughts.
Love Alison