‘Where’s the sense of urgency?’ - Alison Botha speaks out after nine women found dead in Ekurhuleni

A Gender-Based Violence (GBV) awareness campaign was held in Parlock, Durban, focusing on community visibility and partnerships between private security companies and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to distribute safety resources and promote awareness.

More than three decades after surviving a horrific attack that left her fighting for her life, Alison Botha has once again stepped in front of the camera with a message for South Africa’s women.

Botha was 27 when she was abducted by two men in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, on December 18, 1994.

She was raped, stabbed more than 30 times and had her throat slit before her attackers left her for dead. Despite her devastating injuries, Botha survived and managed to reach a road, where she was found and rushed to hospital.

In an emotional video message, Botha reflected on her experience and questioned whether enough had changed since she first began speaking publicly about gender-based violence (GBV).

“Those of you who don't know, I myself am a survivor of GBV. Back in 1994, I was abducted by two men, sexually assaulted and left for dead,” she said.

Botha went on to speak publicly about her experience, hoping that it would help raise awareness and contribute to tackling violence against women.

Her attackers, Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger , were convicted in 1995 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Both were eventually released on parole in 2023 after serving about 28 years in prison.

Their parole was cancelled by Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald in February 2025. The Correctional Services Department confirmed that both men were reincarcerated and would remain in custody.

For Botha, the passage of more than 30 years has not brought the change she hoped her story could help inspire.

“I went on to talk about what had happened to me in the hope that bringing awareness to the situation would help the crisis. But here we are, over 30 years later, and the GBV crisis in our country is no better. In fact, it's worse,” she said.

Her message comes as South Africa grapples with the deaths of nine women whose bodies have been discovered across Ekurhuleni since July.

The first five bodies were found in the Kempton Park area, while the others were discovered at Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Rhodesfield, KwaThema and Dawn Park.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said on Sunday that eight of the nine victims had been identified, although the families of only seven had been informed at that stage.