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Woman kidnapped, raped, had throat slit and bowels hanging out - and survived

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Alison Botha was just 27 when she was kidnapped, brutally gang-raped, disembowelled and nearly decapitated in a horrific 1994 South Africa attack

[Alison Botha was just 27 years old when she was abducted, brutalized, and left for dead]

Alison Botha was just 27 years old when she was abducted, brutalized, and left for dead(Image: YouTube)

Alison Botha's tale is one of extraordinary survival against the most appalling circumstances.

At 27 Alison confronted a living nightmare when she was abducted and subjected to a brutal gang rape.

Throughout the attack, she was disembowelled, forced to clutch her own intestines while her head dangled semi-severed, "flopped backwards and almost rested between [her] shoulder blades".

Originally from Port Elizabeth in South Africa, Alison was regarded as a symbol of "utmost positivity and sound moral values", according to her school where she served as head girl in 1985.

Employed as an insurance broker, her life took a sinister twist on December 18, 1994, following an evening spent with friends.

She arrived home, parked her car, and in that moment of ordinary routine, failed to spot the peril waiting nearby.

[On December 18, 1994, Alison Botha was abducted near her home in South Africa]

Alison was kidnapped as she arrived home(Image: YouTube)

As she stretched for her washing on the passenger seat, a fair-haired man forced his way into her car.

It was Frans DuToit, a police officer's son, who menacingly threatened her existence but claimed he simply required the vehicle for an hour.

Alison remembered feeling "strangely immobilised" as Du Toit ominously stated her home address, making it sound more like a warning than a simple observation.

In a frantic bid to establish rapport with her captor, Alison attempted to bargain, offering her car in return for her release. But Du Toit callously refused, maintaining he "wanted company", as reported by Morbid.

After travelling some distance from the town, Du Toit circled a group of people on the street twice, hunting for one particular face - Theuns Krugeras.

The small man, dressed in black, approached the driver's side and jumped into the car. Du Toit, who had introduced himself under the alias "Clinton", adjusted the driver's seat forward as Krugeras got in.

[By the end of the night, she had been raped, stabbed, and disemboweled but somehow, she managed to liv]

Alison has bravely spoken about her ordeal(Image: YouTube)

He then introduced Alison, who was also using a pseudonym, with the words "meet my friend Susan".

They drove towards a suburb outside Port Elizabeth in an unsettling silence until Du Toit broke it by saying: "Theuns doesn't speak good English."

As they neared a wooded area, Du Toit slowed down and parked on the sand. Krugeras got out of the vehicle and Clinton proceeded to rape Alison.

Krugeras began to assault her too but suddenly stopped, exclaiming "no I can't do this" before mistakenly shouting "Frans" at his accomplice. Alison remembered this name.

Frans then cautioned Alison: "If we take you into town now you'll go to the police". Du Toit followed up with: "what do you think Oom Nick would want us to do with her."

Oom Nick is an Afrikaans reference to Satan.

Krugeras responded: " I think he wants us to kill her."

[Alison Botha with Tiaan Eilerd, the man who rescued her]

Alison Botha with Tiaan Eilerd, the man who rescued her(Image: Facebook)

The pair forced Alison to remove her rings and clothes before Du Toit strangled her until she lost consciousness, apologising as he did so.

Alison came to surrounded by rubbish, seeing a man's arm slashing in front of her face.

She then made the terrifying discovery that he was slicing her throat. She recalled being able to "could hear the flesh slit."

After the dreadful attack, it was found that the attackers had slashed at her throat 16 times; Alison was nearly beheaded.

The assault abruptly ended, and Alison managed to roll onto her stomach.

She described her fear: "I tried to hold my breath but I realised I had no control over my breathing - I moved my hand up to cover my neck - my whole hand disappeared into it, but it seemed to have worked - the sound was silenced."

Feigning death then became her survival tactic. One of the attackers questioned if she was dead, the other assured "no one can survive that".

But Alison was determined in her quest for justice-writing down their names in the sand with a touching addition, "I love mom."

Reflecting on the feeling of her injuries, she said: "It was as if I'd cut moorings. As I hovered there I recognised the person down below - I knew it was me and I felt such a strong connection to that bleeding mangled girl lying on her stomach."

[Two individuals, dressed in formal attire, are standing side by side against a brick wall. Each holds a bottle, and one of them is engaged in drinking from it.]

The Ripper Rapists, Theuns Kruger and Frans du Toit(Image: YouTube )

Later, catching a glimpse of lights, she realised she was near the road. With an enormous effort, she lifted herself onto her knees, and reaching to her abdomen, she felt something "tepid, wet and slimy".

A horrifying sight met her eyes-her intestines were spilling out from her stomach.

She recounted the horrifying experience, stating: "It was horrifying there was just so much of me on the outside. I tried to scoop it all up with my hands but everything just slithered away again."

Alison had been stabbed in the stomach more than 50 times. She used a shirt to keep her intestines in place, while debris and shattered glass sliced into her hands and knees.

Half of her thyroid was jutting out from her neck.

She disclosed that at this point, she realised the trail of blood she was leaving behind would shatter her loved ones if they discovered the pain she suffered in her final moments.

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Alison Botha was just 27 years old when she was abducted, brutalized, and left for dead.(Image: YouTube )

Adding to her chilling narrative, she said: "My head had flopped backwards and almost rested between my shoulder blades. I expected to feel something but was completely taken aback when my hand disappeared inside me almost like I had swallowed myself."

With one hand holding her head forward and the other keeping her intestines in place, she managed to reach the middle of the road and lay horizontally, forcing drivers to stop.

Upon spotting the first car, she "frantically waved as fast as I could" - but the vehicle swerved around her. The next thing she saw was a woman screaming and a young man kneeling over her.

It was 2.45am when she was found - meaning her abduction and discovery spanned only an hour and a half.

Tiaan Eilerd, a veterinarian who was enjoying drinks with his mates at a local, discovered Alison in a critical condition. He swiftly assessed her vital signs and managed to position her thyroid back inside her throat an action that proved lifesaving.

Alison subsequently praised him as her "lifeline". Tiaan was astounded that she remained conscious, describing her as resembling a "creature straight out of a Dickens novel" with a neck wound extending "almost ear to ear".

Without Tiaan's rapid intervention, she would not have survived.

Alison's abdomen had been pierced repeatedly, and her stomach muscles were severely damaged. She remembered one attacker's sinister intention to mutilate her reproductive organs.

Despite overwhelming circumstances, she thwarted their horrific objective and subsequently delivered two children.

Following extensive surgery lasting hours, Alison was transferred to intensive care. As news of her trauma circulated, police discovered the perpetrators were already on bail for sexual assault.

The duo, self-declared Satanists, admitted to abduction, sexual assault, and attempted murder. One of them, Du Toit, acknowledged assaulting another woman but stated the "urge to killer her had passed" following the attack.

In 1995, both received life sentences without the possibility of release.

When rumours of legislative amendments emerged in 2012, Alison expressed her dismay: "Can you imagine if just 100 lifers were reintroduced to society without rehabilitation."

She campaigned relentlessly, guaranteeing those beasts remained imprisoned.

However, on July 4, 2023, Du Toit and Krugeras were released after serving just 28 years of their life sentences, leaving Alison Botha completely unaware of their parole.

Alison voiced her distress on Facebook, stating: "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.'".

Alison has been outspoken about her horrific experience through her book "I Have Life" and now a film entitled "Alison," which reached cinemas last August.

She tells her story of savage attack, extraordinary survival, and the journey to rebuilding her life, motivating numerous people by demonstrating how attitude, faith, and determination were pivotal in her endurance.

Her courage was recognised when she received the prestigious Rotarian Paul Harris Award for 'Courage Beyond the Norm'. During that period, Femina magazine presented her with its first 'Woman of Courage' award while she was also acknowledged as Port Elizabeth's Citizen of the Year.

Following the launch of "Alison", she shared her hopes, saying: "'I have always hoped that by sharing my own journey with others, it would give them hope and courage for their own. To have my story and ultimate triumph shared on screen, would mean that so many more people would see the power of choice that we each have; and might also choose to triumph over life's hardships".

Beyond her professional duties, Alison maintains that her most important role is being a single mother to her two sons. In acknowledgement of her steadfast commitment to inspiring others to overcome their circumstances, triumph over life's obstacles and stay strong when facing hardship, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is delighted to present Alison Botha with the Council Prestige Award.

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