On December 18, 1994, twenty-seven-year-old Alison Botha was abducted from the parking lot of her apartment in Port Elizabeth by two men she didn’t know and had never seen. After forcing her into her car, her abductors drove her to a remote field, where she was sexually assaulted, stabbed dozens of times, nearly decapitated, and left for dead.Miraculously, Alison didn’t die in that field, but instead managed to get to a nearby road, where she found help and was transported to the nearest hospital where she received life-saving treatment. Because she remembered everything about her attackers, Alison was able to describe the men and they were quickly arrested and confessed to the assault. Since enduring her horrific attack, Alison Botha has become a symbol of endurance and for decades her story of survival has inspired and empowered young women across South Africa and around the world.Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!ReferencesMarianne, Thamm. 2018. I Have Life: Alison's Journey. Cape Town, South Africa: Penguin Random House South Africa.Reddy, Tash. 2006. "Alison has life - and she truly cherishes it." Pretoria News, December 2.—. 2006. "Miracle survivor Alison inspires." Weekend Argus (South Africa), December 3.Sanpath, Arthi. 2010. "Will to survive triumphs incredible story of courage inspires all." Daily News (South Africa), August 23.Thamm, Marianne. 2024. "Alison Botha health update — Reunited with family and fighting for recovery." Daily Maverick (South Africa), October 27.The Mercury. 2023. "Rapist pair get paroled after serving 28 years." The Mercury (South Africa), July 6.The Star. 2012. "Rape victim's parole shock." The Star (South Africa), January 19.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: How does the podcast introduce the story of Alison Botha?
It's really not like that's not unheard of at all. No, you're 18 years old. Like most of the time you have you're still a baby. There's so many options at your fingertips. I feel like people are like expect you to have like exactly what you want to do figured out. And for a lot of people, that's just not the case. Yeah, for sure.
When she was younger, Allison had always dreamed of becoming a writer or maybe a poet. But now that she was in a position to pursue whatever goal she wanted, she just couldn't figure out which direction to go in.
Well, because it really can feel like the whole world is your oyster.
Yeah.
Like, you know what I mean? Like when you're that young and you're just like, I can choose anything. Which is awesome. How do I narrow it down?
That's the thing.
Like it's too many options.
It's awesome, but exactly. It's overwhelming. It's a great problem to have. Yeah. Yeah. Well, as always, Claire supported her daughter, suggesting that she just take a secretarial course while she considered some of her options. And she said, if nothing else, you'll learn some new skills that will apply with whatever you do.
For sure.
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Chapter 2: What were Alison Botha's early life and career like?
They attacked a pregnant woman. That's the other thing. Oh, my God. Yeah. That's horrific. They are filthy. Truly. It's insane. It's unthinkable that they got let out. So we will post those links for sure. Because, I mean, like hearing this story and what she's been through, it's unthinkable. I mean, damn. And she just has such determination to live. Yeah. And she has empathy. Yeah.
And she had empathy in some of her darkest moments. And so I think... This is a call back to it for sure. For sure.
Yeah. So with all that being said, please consider donating. Please share the link if you're not able to. Obviously, not everybody will be able to. And of course, we hope you keep listening. And we hope you keep it weird. But not so weird that you lack the humanity of those two motherfucking trolls who are just walking the streets now. Yeah. Fuck that. Take care of each other. Thank you.
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Back in the 80s, a man named Billy Mitchell achieved what many thought was impossible, a perfect Pac-Man score and world record in Donkey Kong. He became the face of competitive arcade gaming and built an empire around his achievements. But he was so obsessed with being the best that he was willing to do anything to hold on to his high score.
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