How Alison Botha Survived Brutal Attack.

After a typical night out with her friends, Alison Botha drove back to her Port Elizabeth, South Africa, apartment. Immediately after the 27-year-old woman parked her vehicle, a knife-wielding man forced his way inside her car.

The assailant ordered Botha to switch seats, trapping her within her own vehicle. Then, he drove her vehicle to pick up a companion. And it was immediately apparent that the two men had nefarious intentions towards her.

Botha's captors, later identified as Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger, led her to a desolate area on the city's outskirts. There, she was brutally raped, disemboweled, and her throat was so deeply slashed that she was nearly beheaded. In the end, they abandoned her for dead in a field.

This is the story of the incredible survival of Alison Botha.

The Beginning

Alison Botha was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on September 22, 1967. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old, and she lived with her mother and brother for the majority of her childhood.

Early in her life, Botha led a relatively ordinary existence. She led The Collegiate High School for Girls in Port Elizabeth as head girl. After completing her education, she spent several years traveling. And upon her return to South Africa, Botha found a fulfilling position as an insurance broker.

At first, the night of her attack appeared to be an ordinary night. After spending time with her friends at the beach, Botha invited them back to her apartment for pizza and games. When the majority of the group left, Botha drove her final companion home. Botha then returned to her apartment.

After parking her vehicle, she reached toward the passenger seat to retrieve her bag of clean laundry. However, she felt a sudden gust of warm air. A knife-wielding man had opened the driver's door.

"Move over, or I'll kill you," he said.

Botha, terrified, did as she was instructed. The man quickly seized control of the vehicle and drove off. The man who identified himself as Clinton stated, "I don't want to hurt you." "I'd like to borrow your car for an hour."

Clinton, whose real name was Frans du Toit, then traveled to a different section of Port Elizabeth in order to pick up his friend Theuns Kruger.

The men then took her to a remote location just outside the city. Botha, who was frozen, sensed that something terrible was about to occur.

How Alison Botha Survived Her Encounter With The Rapists

Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger told her that they would have sexual relations with her. Botha, who was obviously trapped and terrified for her life, refused.

She was raped by the two men with a history of violence against women. And they quickly resolved to murder her as well. Initially, they attempted to suffocate her. But even though she lost consciousness, Botha clung to life.

Frustrated, du Toit and Kruger took their brutality to the next level. They stabbed Botha in the abdomen at least thirty times.

When Botha's leg began to twitch, du Toit and Kruger determined that their work was not yet complete. They then severed her throat sixteen times.

"All I could see was a moving arm above my face," Alison Botha recalled later. "Left and right, left and right, left and right. His movements generated noise. It was a wet sound, the sound of my flesh being cut open. He was using a knife to slit my throat. Again and again and again."

Botha's mind struggled to comprehend what was transpiring. She said, "It felt unreal, but it wasn't." "There was no discomfort, but it was not a dream. This was occurring. The man was attempting to slit my throat."

Botha heard the men praising their work and speaking in Afrikaans as they retreated. "Do you believe she is dead?" asked one of the attackers. "No one can survive that," replied the other.

Du Toit and Kruger departed after, ostensibly content with having killed her. But they were unaware that Botha was still breathing.

Botha, while lying alone atop sand and shattered glass, thought, "I had to at least leave some clue of who did this to me." She chose to etch the names of her attackers into the ground. Then, she wrote beneath that, "I love Mom."

However, Botha soon realized she had a chance of survival. She could see headlights streaking through the bushes in the distance. If she could only reach the road, someone might be able to assist her, she thought to herself.

Alison Botha's Rescue And Rehabilitation

As she moved toward the headlights, Alison Botha realized the extent of her injuries. As she began to pull herself up, her head began to fall backwards, as she had nearly been beheaded.

She could also feel something slimy protruding from her abdomen; these were her intestines. She had to use one hand to prevent her organs from leaking out and the other to literally hold onto her own head.

Botha recalled, "As I struggled forward, my vision began to fade and I fell numerous times, but I was able to get back up until I reached the road."

She collapsed there along the white line. Even in her disoriented state, she was aware that this was the optimal location to attract the attention of a passing motorist.

Thankfully, Botha did not have to wait long. Tiaan Eilerd, a young veterinary student from Johannesburg on vacation in Port Elizabeth, saw Botha lying in the middle of the road and stopped.

Later, Eilerd stated, "God put me on that road that night for a reason."

Using his veterinary training, he reinserted Botha's exposed thyroid into her body. Then, Eilerd called for assistance from emergency services.

Alison Botha was rushed to the hospital, where her horrific injuries stunned the doctors. One physician, Alexander Angelov, later stated that he had never witnessed such severe injuries in his 16 years of practice.

Arrest, Trial and Sentencing

Botha was on the verge of passing away. However, she was able to survive, and she remembered everything about her attackers. While she was still in the hospital, she quickly identified them from police photographs. This resulted in the rapid arrest of the "Ripper Rapists," as the press dubbed them.

The ensuing "Noordhoek Ripper Trial" attracted the attention of all South Africans. Du Toit and Kruger each pleaded guilty to eight charges, including kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder. In August 1995, they were both found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Despite the fact that the worst was over, Alison Botha still bore physical and emotional scars from the ordeal.