Alison Botha Survived a Brutal Attack in 1994 That Nearly Left Her Dead — Where Is She Now?
Alison's attackers were released on parole in July 2023.
Published Nov. 27 2024, 2:22 p.m. ET
If you need support, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit RAINN.org to chat online one-on-one with a support specialist at any time.
In December 1994, Alison Botha was coming back from a night out with friends when the unspeakable happened. The 27-year-old South African woman had just pulled into her apartment complex and was gathering up her things when a man got into her car.
Clutching a knife, he forced Botha to move over to the passenger seat and then drove her vehicle to pick up a second individual.
The man and his accomplice proceeded to drive Alison to a deserted area outside of town, where they brutally raped her. Following the assault, they stabbed the young woman dozens of times. Through sheer strength of will, she managed to save her own life that night.
Now nearly 30 years later, Alison is once again fighting to stay alive. Where is she now? Here's what we know.
Where is Alison Botha now?
According to the Daily Maverick, Alison suffered a brain aneurysm in September 2024. The 55-year-old spent three days in a hospital in George with "bleeding on the brain before being transferred to Cape Town where she underwent surgery to stop the hemorrhage," reported the outlet. Marianne Thamm, the woman who collaborated with Botha to write her best-selling book "I Have Life – Alison’s Journey," visited Alison in October and said she was being fed through and could barely stay awake.
Despite her difficulty remaining conscious, Alison was able to mouth the words "Thank you," when Marianne placed a cool washcloth on her forehead. Updates have also been posted on Alison's Facebook page.
On October 29, Alison revealed she has a long rehabilitation ahead of her. She is unable to sit up, stand, or walk, but did have use of her right arm. Her eyesight was improving, though the accompanying photo shows a bandage over Alison's left eye.
A few weeks later, Alison was brought to a step-down clinic, which is where a patient is taken after being transferred out of the ICU. Unfortunately, something went wrong, and she had to be transported by ambulance to a larger hospital in order to assess what was going on.
In the meantime, a trust has been set up in Alison's name that will go towards her medical care. Anyone is welcome to donate and can find the information on her Facebook page.
What happened to Alison Botha?
The specifics of Alison's assault are worthy of a trigger warning, so please continue with care. Alison was stabbed so many times that doctors couldn't count the number of sounds she had. Her throat was slit so deeply, she was nearly decapitated. The stab wounds in Alison's stomach were tantamount to being disemboweled and were so bad, that she had to hold her own intestines in while crawling for help, per Women for Change.
Alison shoved her denim skirt into her stomach and while holding her head together, managed to write the names of her attackers in the dirt: Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruge. She crawled to the side of the road and received help from the individuals in the second car that drove by. Another vehicle briefly stopped, but no one got out to help her.
In 1995 Du Toit and Kruge were sentenced to life in prison. Sadly, they were released on parole on July 4, 2023.
The Department of Correctional Services said they investigated the risks associated with reintegrating them back into society and came up with a plan. The pair are "expected to comply with the specific set of parole conditions and will be subjected to supervision for the rest of their natural life."
