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A long road ahead as Alison Botha undergoes brain surgery

A long road ahead as Alison Botha undergoes brain surgery
Marianne Thamm
By Marianne Thamm
16 Oct 2024
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On Thursday morning, Alison Botha will undergo brain surgery to relieve a fluid buildup after suffering a brain aneurysm almost a month ago.

Alison Botha, who was raped and viciously mutilated by two men, Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger in 1994, has lived for 30 years with the scars of the horror of that night.

On 25 September, Alison, 55, suffered an aneurysm and spent three days in hospital in George with bleeding on the brain before being transferred to Cape Town where she underwent surgery to stop the haemorrhage.

My collaboration with Alison as a ghostwriter for her best-selling book, I Have Life – Alison’s Journey, brought us into close contact in 1997 when we first met. We spent an intense time together working on the project.

I visited her this week in her ward to inform her that her lawyer had set up a trust fund for her future medical expenses and that people across the globe had learnt the news and sent their love and well wishes. 

We are all rallying to get her home with the care she needs to climb the rather steep hill which faces her, I informed her.

Alison is being tube-fed at present and slips in and out of wakefulness, but opened her eyes when I wiped her head with a cool facecloth, before smiling and mouthing with difficulty “thank you”.

https://youtu.be/uQ2Ozd8z2UM

Brain operation


Doctors popped by during the visit to inform Alison that a stent and catheter to drain fluid that had built up would be inserted on Thursday morning. She opened her eyes again and looked at the doctor intently, before nodding and then closing them again.

The man who will be anesthetising Alison explained that we all produce 500ml of cerebrospinal fluid each day which usually circulates and is reabsorbed in the body.

Alison’s fluid has to be assisted to drain, hence the stent which she will have to wear permanently.

The road ahead


The mother of two, a sought-after speaker both locally and internationally after surviving the attack, was one of the first women in South Africa to identify herself publicly. Beforehand, the stigma of rape forced many women into silence.

Alison became an international embodiment of resilience and has been the recipient globally of many accolades and awards for her strength.

“The operation we are doing tomorrow is going to relieve some of the pressure and the pain,” her doctor said on Wednesday.

Du Toit and Kruger had left her for dead on Schoenmakerskop, a remote beach outside Gqeberha (then Port Elizabeth) after abducting her. Her will to survive led to the publication of I Have Life – Alison’s Journey.

In 2016, it was turned into an award-winning documentary by Uga Carlini titled simply, Alison.

Read more: The woman who refused to be a victim, Alison Botha, fights for her life a second time

Chris Jansen, the judge who originally sentenced Du Toit (who received three life sentences and Kruger who received one life sentence plus 25 years), said both men should be removed from society “for the rest of their lives”.

“I was at the scene where she was assaulted. She crawled naked on a dirt road to the tarmac where she lay down, then two cars stopped by her. The first driver just looked at her like that and then drove off and the second one helped her.”

Du Toit and Kruger were freed on parole in July 2023. Alison received a phone call to inform her about Du Toit’s impending release while she learnt of Kruger’s release in the media.

The survivor had actively fought every one of their attempts at freedom. Yet this time she received the call notifying her of Du Toit’s release as a fait accompli.

She was not consulted despite having been registered with the Department of Correctional Services and thus could not offer objections. A formal application for review of the Minister’s decision has subsequently been launched in the Gauteng Local Division. 

Meanwhile, a trust account has been established to cover the considerable costs Botha, who does not have medical aid, is bound to face. The account has been established by well-wishers and will be managed by Botha’s legal team and other professionals who have stepped forward. DM

Donations to the trust can be made to:


Tania Koen Attorneys
Nedbank Trust Account No. 1302230492
For international donations, include SWIFT code NEDSZAJJ
Address: 157 Cape Rd, Newton Park, Gqeberha.

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