Petition against the release of Alison Botha's attackers!

Johannesburg - Two men who raped Alison Botha in Noordhoek, in Port Elizabeth, in 1994 and then slit her throat, could get parole soon after serving just 17 years of their sentence.

Theuns Kruger and Frans du Toit, who'd left her for dead, were both sentenced to life behind bars in August 1995.

However, in terms of legislation which came into effect in June last year, all prisoners who were sentenced to lifelong imprisonment before 2004 and have already served 13 years and four months, can apply for parole.

Du Toit and Kruger raped Alison, stabbed her more than 30 times with a knife and tried to slit her throat 16 times. She was left for dead in the veld. They'd told the Port Elizabeth High Court that the devil made them do it.

Alison's aorta and larynx were not severed, which enabled her to breathe. She had to gather her intestines and tuck them into her shirt while she held her head on her body with her other hand.

She staggered to the nearest road, where a medical student saw her and rushed her to the Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital.

The following morning Du Toit and Kruger used the bloodied knives with which they'd slashed Alison to butter their bread.

Kruger, who is doing his time in Pretoria, appeared before the parole board on December 14 and is said to be bragging to other inmates that he will be out of there soon.

Puleng Mokhoane, the Free State spokesperson for correctional services, said Du Toit had appeared before the parole board at the Grootvlei prison in Bloemfontein on January 10.

Frightened

She said the "necessary procedures" would be followed.

Alison had not been aware of the possible parole for Kruger and Du Toit before being contacted by the media.

She said she was extremely shocked as she'd already applied last year to appeal against their possible release should parole be considered.

"I now realise that I'd clung to a false sense of security and never even considered the possibility that they could be freed.

"I will be frightened if they are released and I would very much like to be part of their parole hearing."

Sonwabo Mbananga, the minister of correctional services' spokesperson, said parole applications were not granted or turned down by parole boards.

They are merely part of an "administrative process" after which the case is referred to the National Council of Correctional Services, where factors such as the Judge's comments during sentencing, psychological reports and the prisoner's rehabilitation are considered.

The final decision rests with the minister, Mbananga said.