The two men who raped and nearly cut Alison Botha’s throat almost 29 years ago were released on parole on Tuesday.
Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger were sentenced to life imprisonment in August 1995 for the brutal attack on Botha.
Singabakho Nxumalo, spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services (DKD), said that in accordance with the Correctional Services Act, Du Toit and Kruger should have been considered for release on parole after serving the minimum required time.
According to Nxumalo, Du Toit and Kruger will have to comply with a specific set of parole conditions and be subject to supervision for the rest of their lives.
Du Toit and Kruger first applied for parole ten years ago. According to legislation, prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment before 2004 can apply for parole if they have already served 13 years and four months of their sentence.
Botha was mugged in December 1994 in Noordhoek in Port Elizabeth. She was raped and stabbed more than 30 times. Kruger and Du Toit repeatedly tried to cut her throat. She was left for dead in the field. Botha managed to drag herself to a tarmac where she was rescued by a motorist.
The horrific attack on Botha shook South Africa. her book, I Have Life, was published in 1998 and has since been translated into seven languages. A film about her life, Alisonwas released in 2016.
