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1
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:50,960
"Go to the edge," he said.
2
00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:53,920
"We're afraid," they said.
3
00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,480
"Go to the edge," he said.
4
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:02,280
They went to the edge.
5
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:05,520
They were pushed.
6
00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:08,800
And they flew.
7
00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,200
Once upon a time, in 1994 actually,
8
00:01:31,871 --> 00:01:33,522
in the kingdom of South Africa,
9
00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:35,812
there lived in the
hamlet of Port Elizabeth -
10
00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:37,360
me.
11
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:39,960
I was a twenty-seven-year-old.
12
00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,720
No aspirations, no great career plans.
13
00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:44,480
I don't remember even as a child
14
00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:48,480
having great dreams and
wanting to be anything specific.
15
00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:50,840
I wasn't really good at
much at school either.
16
00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,080
I studied secretarial
for a year after school -
17
00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,120
just really to have something to
fall back on as my mother said.
18
00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,120
I spent four years overseas
before returning home.
19
00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,160
I remember my mom being relieved
that I was back home - safe.
20
00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,560
18 December 1994.
21
00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,160
It was a perfect summer's day, I remember.
22
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:12,600
One of those summer days
23
00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:14,640
when you've been at the beach all day.
24
00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,520
Your skin's still tight
from being in the sun.
25
00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:18,040
Still taste the salt on your skin,
26
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:19,840
braaivleis, smoke in the air.
27
00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,000
Went back to my place,
ordered pizza, played games.
28
00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:27,880
At the end of the evening,
I offered my friend a lift.
29
00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:31,120
Picked up my laundry from her
house, and then came back home.
30
00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:33,040
My parking was now taken,
31
00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,600
so I had to park a
little bit further down.
32
00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:46,160
I can remember it as if it was yesterday.
33
00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:50,360
I felt the knife at my throat,
34
00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:54,080
and I just heard the voice:
35
00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:56,680
"Move over or else I'll kill you."
36
00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:02,480
I hadn't locked my car doors.
37
00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:05,920
I bet you I know what you're
thinking, I should have jumped,
38
00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:07,679
but I didn't want to believe the worst,
39
00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:09,506
so I chose to believe the best.
40
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,040
After all, he said he
didn't want to hurt me,
41
00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,000
just wants to use my
car for about an hour.
42
00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:27,680
"My name's Clinton," he said.
43
00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:31,000
"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked me.
44
00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,280
And the problem with that
45
00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:35,600
is that it gave me a
false sense of security.
46
00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:37,600
If only I'd known.
47
00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:39,800
And he stopped. Pulled over.
48
00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,840
And here the second big,
bad wolf gets into the car
49
00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:49,560
and I remember just looking
in the rear-view mirror
50
00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:50,480
and catching his eyes
51
00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,000
and that's when my relief
just turned to sheer fear;
52
00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:58,880
'cause all I saw was dead, cold evil.
53
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,120
And it was in that moment
that it finally dawned on me
54
00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,160
that I wouldn't be going home.
55
00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,360
They drove past the last street lights,
56
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:16,280
the last vestige of hope,
57
00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:19,960
and into darkness.
58
00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:22,200
Just the three of us.
59
00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,120
And he stopped in an alcove.
60
00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:42,800
He said, "Are you going to fight?"
61
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,360
Do I fight? How do I fight?
I don't know how to fight.
62
00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,360
He forced me to have oral sex with him
63
00:04:58,240 --> 00:04:59,600
and then he did the same to me.
64
00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,520
Saying things like,
"Does your boyfriend do this to you?"
65
00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,800
"Do you like it?
You've got the nicest-tasting fanny."
66
00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,400
He gave me a love bite on
my breast and kissed me.
67
00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:16,080
Then he raped me.
68
00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:20,080
My body responded.
69
00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,400
And although I now know that
that's a protection mechanism,
70
00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,080
it was for me the ultimate betrayal.
71
00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,160
"Frans!" Theuns came over.
72
00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,400
That's when I realised
his name was not "Clinton",
73
00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:33,640
it was "Frans".
74
00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:36,960
Frans said to Theuns,
75
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:38,880
"Do you also want to have
sex with the lovely lady?"
76
00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,480
Theuns just said, "No,
I want to fuck the bitch."
77
00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:45,880
"You can't talk to her like that,"
78
00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,520
the man who's just raped me says.
79
00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,520
"She's a lady,
you must speak properly to her."
80
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,480
Before I even knew it,
his hands were at my throat.
81
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:05,960
And the last thing I remember,
82
00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:07,960
my bowels evacuated.
83
00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,600
They stabbed me in the
abdomen and pubic area,
84
00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,200
I'm told, in excess of 37 times.
85
00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:24,880
Theuns was the first to cut my throat.
86
00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:26,360
Frans pushed him out the way.
87
00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,880
The moon behind him
ironically gave him a halo.
88
00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,520
He slashed my throat 17 times.
89
00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:57,520
Their feet started
getting smaller and smaller.
90
00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,520
Their voices, fainter.
91
00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,680
They drove off,
throwing my clothing out the car.
92
00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,160
Although I couldn't feel any pain,
93
00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,920
the noise of my breathing
through my severed windpipe -
94
00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,920
was horrifying. And that realisation,
95
00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,520
that overwhelming feeling of
sadness, when it dawned on me -
96
00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:24,040
that I was injured beyond hope.
That I was dying.
97
00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,440
That I wasn't going to live anymore.
98
00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:32,520
Then I literally left my body -
99
00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,080
and the noise stopped.
100
00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,560
I remember looking down and
already feeling distanced enough
101
00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,800
but not far enough
that I couldn't go back.
102
00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:07,320
I knew I had that choice.
103
00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,800
And I realised that I wanted to go back.
104
00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,493
I wanted a chance to live my life better.
105
00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:43,880
And then, I was back in my
body and the noise was back.
106
00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:47,814
But first things first.
107
00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:49,440
I had to make sure
108
00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,000
that they would never do
this again to anyone else.
109
00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:18,480
Frans.
110
00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:38,640
Theuns.
111
00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:42,640
In the hope that they'd be
caught and sent to jail.
112
00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:46,360
And then I wrote:
113
00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:48,520
I
114
00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:56,920
love
115
00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:10,920
mom.
116
00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,480
I felt something wet at my legs.
117
00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:22,680
I realised that my intestines
were actually outside my body.
118
00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:26,480
The denim shirt was nearby.
119
00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,200
I was able to hold everything in
120
00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,120
with my denim shirt with one hand
121
00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:44,760
and then started crawling with the other
122
00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,000
over this ash and cut glass.
123
00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:50,400
I was getting weaker.
124
00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:52,240
Now if I'd died here,
125
00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,920
my mom would know that
I had survived a bit
126
00:10:55,680 --> 00:10:58,560
and the unanswered questions
that she would always have.
127
00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,120
I can't do that to Mom.
128
00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,600
I realised though that the
crawling was too awkward.
129
00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:04,560
I wasn't going to make it.
130
00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:06,160
I had to do better.
131
00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:11,440
So I managed to hoist myself up
onto my feet with great effort
132
00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:13,320
and everything went black.
133
00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:17,480
I put my other hand up to my throat
134
00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,720
and my entire hand went into the injury.
135
00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,920
They'd severed the muscle
on the side of my neck
136
00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,120
and I realised that my
head had actually flopped
137
00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,320
right back between my shoulder blades.
138
00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,200
I took my other hand and
literally pulled my head up
139
00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:34,680
so that I could see.
140
00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:36,280
That's when it happened.
141
00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:46,080
It was as if someone
else had taken my feet
142
00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:47,960
and was moving them for me.
143
00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:51,520
And the next thing I
knew I was at the road.
144
00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:57,280
I just fell down. I mean,
what's the worst that can happen -
145
00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,240
that someone's going to drive over me?
146
00:11:59,817 --> 00:12:00,777
A car was coming.
147
00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:03,680
It came closer and I realised
148
00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:07,760
Frans and Theuns could be in that car.
149
00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:14,320
There's nothing I can do.
150
00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:17,760
I fought so hard but the
fight's out of me now.
151
00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:19,760
And then the car sped off.
152
00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:28,960
And then I heard another car coming.
153
00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,120
I was a twenty-year-old
veterinary technology student
154
00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:33,880
studying at the Technikon in Pretoria,
155
00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:39,120
and we were on holiday down in
Port Elizabeth with friends.
156
00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,960
So you wouldn't expect anything
bad to happen on a holiday.
157
00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,280
The first thing we saw when
we climbed out of the car
158
00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,120
was a person lying in the
road with no clothes on.
159
00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:52,840
It's something that you'll
never forget in your life.
160
00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:56,680
I took her hand.
161
00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:59,200
She was not able to speak.
I looked into her eyes.
162
00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,400
It was bloodshot, very,
very frightened. I just told her,
163
00:13:02,560 --> 00:13:05,040
"Listen, you've got nice eyes."
164
00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:07,480
He was my knight in shining armour.
165
00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:10,720
He was trying so hard to keep me alive.
166
00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:13,400
I mean typical me, I didn't
want to give up for his sake.
167
00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:18,320
Luckily one of our
friends had a cell phone
168
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:20,560
which was a new technology for that time.
169
00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:22,240
Phoned the emergency services
170
00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:24,200
and they told us they'll
send an ambulance out.
171
00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:25,960
From where we found her up to the hospital
172
00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:27,720
was about fifteen minutes' drive.
173
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:30,240
We waited.
174
00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:34,120
Twenty minutes.
175
00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:39,040
Thirty minutes.
176
00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:45,680
Fourty minutes.
177
00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:51,880
Eventually the paramedics arrived.
178
00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:56,960
We drove to the hospital.
179
00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:59,960
I asked them if they can drive faster.
180
00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:02,440
They didn't see the urgency to that.
181
00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:04,680
It's like they've almost decided
she's not going to make it,
182
00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:05,880
so why rush.
183
00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:10,280
After arriving in casualties,
184
00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:12,280
that was the first time I
had to let go of her hand.
185
00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:16,360
My whole ordeal from
abduction to that point
186
00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:18,360
had taken only 90 minutes
187
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:22,960
and the journey that I
travelled had been 30 km,
188
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,360
but the real journey was only beginning.
189
00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,040
The incident that happened that
night in December definitely
190
00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:32,720
had a big, big impact on my life.
191
00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,800
That was basically what I
needed to make a decision
192
00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:38,480
what I'm going to do
with the rest of my life.
193
00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:41,760
And that was, that was to become a doctor.
194
00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:51,640
My appreciation of life
has been determined largely
195
00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:58,240
by my background as a scientist,
as a doctor and as a specialist
196
00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,160
in intensive care
medicine and anaesthetics.
197
00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:06,680
And I've been exposed to severe trauma,
198
00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:09,200
life-threatening illness.
199
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,240
But I don't think I've
ever experience the horror
200
00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:15,520
of the injuries suffered by Alison.
201
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:21,560
And the sheer brutality,
the ferociousness and the
202
00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:30,560
mindless destruction of
a human really got to me.
203
00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:44,040
I saw a young lady with the
most horrific wound to her neck.
204
00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,440
And I saw that the laceration
was from ear to ear and that
205
00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,600
her trachea, windpipe,
had been cleanly cut through and
206
00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,760
she was breathing through a gaping hole
207
00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:57,880
just above her collarbones.
208
00:15:58,480 --> 00:15:59,880
When I finished my examination,
209
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,440
the young junior doctor who'd admitted her
210
00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:05,520
"Dr Comyn, that's not all."
211
00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:11,880
And he very gently pulled back
the sheet to show me her abdomen
212
00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:13,800
and I could see that this lady
213
00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,600
had been completely disemboweled,
214
00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:21,520
with large loops of her small
bowel lying on top of her tummy.
215
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,799
Close inspection of
that showed that it was
216
00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,120
grossly contaminated with beach sand,
217
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:29,880
with lumps of charcoal
218
00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:34,200
and even lumps of what
looked like lamb chop fat.
219
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,360
And then we looked very
carefully inside her abdomen,
220
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:40,520
saw the extent of her injuries
221
00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,800
and it became evident to us
that it would be unlikely
222
00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,720
for this lady to ever have the
privilege of bearing children.
223
00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,400
I arranged for
224
00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:55,960
the general surgeon on call,
225
00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,360
whose name was Dr Dimitri Angelov.
226
00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:04,840
I took him aside and said,
227
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:10,200
"Dr Angelov, I believe that
we should call an ENT surgeon
228
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:16,800
to help us with the severed
trachea and the neck muscles
229
00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:21,320
and then I think that
we'll move onto the abdomen
230
00:17:21,360 --> 00:17:22,800
which you can do."
231
00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:25,560
He pulled himself up to his -
232
00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:27,600
the tallest he could and he,
233
00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:30,840
in a very, almost Germanic
way clicked his heels,
234
00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,200
and looking me straight
in the eyes, he said,
235
00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:39,960
"Dr Comyn, in my country I am
trained both as an ENT surgeon
236
00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,440
and a general surgeon. I can do this."
237
00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:50,160
Doctors see a lot of things.
Blood. Injuries.
238
00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:52,560
But somehow that injury
239
00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,880
made a striking
impression of severe cruelty
240
00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,510
which one doesn't see very often.
241
00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:06,320
You know, having an injury
from a motor vehicle accident,
242
00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:11,040
or a fight in a pub or
a club, you name it,
243
00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:14,760
doesn't look as severe as
what we saw that morning.
244
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:19,640
Here the cruelty was which
struck everybody in fact
245
00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:21,160
in theatre, not only me.
246
00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,840
The first impression which she made
247
00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:25,960
is when I saw her through the window
248
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,280
signing the consent
form with a steady hand.
249
00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:32,680
When you look at her signature,
you wouldn't think that such a
250
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,960
severely injured person
can write in such a...
251
00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:39,560
a comprehensible way,
you know, and underneath
252
00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:41,960
she had written the
telephone number of her mother.
253
00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:43,680
I was amazed.
254
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:49,400
People with such strength are
difficult to find nowadays.
255
00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:54,480
I was most impressed with the
meticulous surgical technique
256
00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,202
that Dr Angelov exhibited that night.
257
00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,360
I remember him passing the loops
of bowel through his fingers.
258
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:04,000
Every nook and cranny
259
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,879
he meticulously cleaned
and in some instances
260
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:08,400
he even took a scrubbing brush
261
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,600
to remove debris that was firmly stuck.
262
00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,080
I really don't have a scientific answer.
263
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:22,240
Yes, we can debate and
talk all the academic stuff.
264
00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:24,720
We must accept that it is a miracle.
265
00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,080
I've always thought it a bit of a cop-out
266
00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:35,080
to ascribe things that you
don't understand to miracles.
267
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,920
But these events most certainly has led me
268
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,920
out of my strict scientific appreciation
269
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,520
to believe that things
happen for a purpose
270
00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,840
and that's probably a good
definition of a miracle.
271
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:50,760
I'm going to start with her neck.
272
00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:53,760
Of particular importance
are the blood vessels,
273
00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:58,040
which supply blood to the head and brain.
274
00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,520
And with those vessels severed,
Alison would have haemorrhaged;
275
00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:04,960
she would have died within
three or four minutes.
276
00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,080
There are also some very important nerves
277
00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:09,000
that come down from the neck to supply
278
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:13,280
some of the important organs
- none of those were damaged.
279
00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:15,920
And the oesophagus was undamaged,
280
00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:18,760
but of course the trachea was severed,
281
00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,960
and this miracle is that
it has healed so perfectly.
282
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,840
You can see the multiple
stab wounds in her chest.
283
00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:26,720
The miracle is that none of these
284
00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,160
penetrated to the lung or the heart.
285
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:31,160
Then I'll go to the abdomen.
286
00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:35,960
This is the major incision
when she was disemboweled.
287
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,000
And it is a miracle
that that didn't result
288
00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:42,200
in peritonitis and severe infection.
289
00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:46,480
There are multiple stab
wounds all around her abdomen,
290
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,280
none of which penetrated through
to damage the internal organs.
291
00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:57,800
I didn't go home that first night -
292
00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,240
I stayed in the intensive care
293
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,320
and during the early part of the morning
294
00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:09,520
the nursing staff told me that
there were two police officers
295
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:13,520
in the waiting room who
wished to speak with me.
296
00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:18,200
I was informed that it was a brutal rape
- terrible case -
297
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:23,320
and they needed my assistance
to help with the rape case.
298
00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:29,360
I knew Frans du Toit from a previous
299
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:32,160
arrest where he was
arrested also for rape.
300
00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:38,120
And I met him that Monday
morning in the cells
301
00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:40,040
at the Murder and Robbery unit,
302
00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,760
him and Theuns Kruger;
they were both there.
303
00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:49,040
That's how I met them.
304
00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:54,360
After the normal procedures were completed
305
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,480
at the Murder and Robbery offices,
306
00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,960
the next step was to go and
introduce myself to the victim,
307
00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:03,320
who was Alison at the hospital
308
00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,400
and to inform her that I would be
309
00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:07,400
the investigating officer in her case.
310
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:11,480
They gave her a folder
311
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,640
and turn the pages over one by one
312
00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,520
and when she came to the picture of
313
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,240
Frans she pointed to it
314
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,280
and wrote the name "Frans"
on the piece of paper.
315
00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:27,920
They turned over a few more photographs
316
00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,880
and then she pointed to
the picture of Theuns
317
00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:33,280
and wrote his name on the piece of paper
318
00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:35,880
and that satisfied the police.
319
00:22:35,930 --> 00:22:38,987
During the course of that
day and the early afternoon,
320
00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:43,040
the two police constables came back again
321
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,560
and they explained to me
322
00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,760
that they have been in contact with the
323
00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:56,240
chief prosecutor who had indicated to them
324
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:02,080
that the prosecution
case would be far stronger
325
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:07,160
if Alison would verbalise
326
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,280
the names of the two suspects.
327
00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:19,200
And I was horrified at that.
328
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,800
Because what that meant
was that I would have to
329
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:27,240
remove the tube from her lungs,
330
00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:33,240
because with the tube through
the vocal chords or voice box,
331
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:40,000
patients being ventilated with
the tube are unable to speak.
332
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:47,160
I was very, very apprehensive
that by removing the tube
333
00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:51,080
I would disrupt the trachea suture line
334
00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:53,840
and jeopardise the good work
335
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,720
that we had done the night before.
336
00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:00,080
I went to Alison and I described the
337
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,840
interview with, the second
interview with the police,
338
00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:09,120
asked her, her opinion
and she said, she wrote,
339
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:10,440
"Take it out."
340
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:12,360
I removed the tube
341
00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:18,000
"That's wonderful,"
342
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:20,880
were her first words. And she said:
343
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:25,680
"My attackers were Frans and Theuns."
344
00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:29,120
Alison was discharged
from the intensive care
345
00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:31,560
to the general surgery ward
346
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:37,360
and that's the last time I saw Alison.
347
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,840
The office where we worked,
we were all like a little family.
348
00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:48,520
Everybody had fun together.
349
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:54,040
Every day was a day to
look forward to at work
350
00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:56,080
because there was always
something to laugh about.
351
00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,200
I had come to the office in the morning
352
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:00,960
and one of my colleagues
353
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,760
who is also a very good friend of Alison's
- Kim -
354
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,000
had come into the office and
she just looked very upset,
355
00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:13,120
but she was upset in a way
356
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,400
that we've never seen
her that upset before.
357
00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:19,120
And she sat at her desk
358
00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:21,960
and it's not like Kim to
sit at her desk and cry.
359
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:26,040
And I turned around and I asked her like,
360
00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:28,360
"Are you okay? What's wrong?"
361
00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:30,480
All she said was, "It's Alison."
362
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,840
We were not allowed to
go see her immediately
363
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:38,600
because of her having to undergo
so many surgeries and so forth.
364
00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:43,640
I think we went a couple of days later
365
00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:49,112
and it was Davida and I who
had decided to go together
366
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:51,000
because neither one of
us wanted to go alone.
367
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:54,760
We needed to muster up
the courage to see Alison
368
00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,640
because by this time we had all read about
369
00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,240
and heard exactly what
had happened to her.
370
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:03,280
The two of us stood quietly
at the side of her bed
371
00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:04,680
looking at her,
372
00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,720
but by this time we
couldn't contain ourselves.
373
00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,800
Tears were rolling down
our faces looking at her
374
00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:13,640
and she kind of had a feeling
that somebody was watching her,
375
00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:15,400
so she opened her eyes
376
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,320
and the minute she opened her eyes we had,
377
00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:20,920
we were stunned to see what we saw
378
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:23,480
because her eyes were
completely bloodshot.
379
00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:25,800
Blood vessels had burst in her eyes,
380
00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,600
so all we could see was
just blood in her eyes.
381
00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:33,360
So that was also quite a
distressing sight to see.
382
00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,200
And she smiled when she saw us
383
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:42,080
and she didn't want us to cry
because she felt she was okay.
384
00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:44,720
She didn't want anybody to be sad for her.
385
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:50,487
I remember that the sheet was just on,
386
00:26:51,682 --> 00:26:53,602
just below her shoulders,
387
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:58,292
and she pulled out her
hand from under the sheet
388
00:26:58,440 --> 00:26:59,559
and she said to us:
389
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:03,960
"Look, don't cry guys,
look I didn't even crack a nail."
390
00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:08,040
We saw the state of her
nails and there were dirt
391
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:09,600
and blood under her nails.
392
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,600
They were all,
they were in a terrible state
393
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:14,120
and they were cracked.
394
00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:18,920
She had hurt her hands.
She had hurt every part of her body.
395
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:28,280
I remember I was so worried
396
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:29,560
that I wasn't going to get to thank
397
00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:32,000
all these people who had reached out to me
398
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,240
and sent all these letters,
cards and flowers
399
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,880
and I decided to try and
thank them collectively
400
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:38,520
in a letter in the newspaper.
401
00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,880
For fear of omitting anyone of
you from my heartfelt thanks,
402
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,320
I have decided to attempt to
thank you all collectively.
403
00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,000
Each one who sent flowers, gifts, cards,
404
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,760
wishes, thoughts, prayers and love,
405
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:05,240
should know how they
brought a smile to my face
406
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:06,960
and added warmth to my heart.
407
00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,320
I have life, beautiful people,
and you have my heart.
408
00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:22,520
I might have survived my attack,
409
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,680
but I still had to survive the court case.
410
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:26,080
When I first came out of hospital,
411
00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:28,120
I had to go back every single day
412
00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,280
for Dr Angelov to treat my injuries,
413
00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,560
particularly the one in my abdomen.
414
00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:35,480
He had to scrape it until it bled
415
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:37,840
every day until some new cells grew.
416
00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,520
I still had to have plastic surgery later.
417
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,160
When I think of recovery,
the word that I think of is pain -
418
00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:55,040
all consuming, all day, through the night.
419
00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:56,000
I didn't sleep.
420
00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,160
I just remember feeling
that the pain was so big
421
00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:01,440
it would never entirely go away.
422
00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:02,440
I would have some of it
423
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:03,960
remaining for the rest of my life.
424
00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:05,560
And in fact, to be honest with you,
425
00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,000
I still have ongoing medical issues
426
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:09,640
because of the injuries.
427
00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:11,800
But there was always Melvin, my cop.
428
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:15,400
Two other ladies were raped
before Alison was raped,
429
00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:20,280
and it happened in a sequence.
430
00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:23,640
The first lady who was raped took a week
431
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,640
before she reported
the case to the police,
432
00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:29,160
after she was threatened
433
00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:31,800
that they would kill her
if she went to the police.
434
00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,760
The second lady who
was pregnant at the time
435
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,600
ran downstairs and
straight into a police van
436
00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:40,960
and reported the case.
437
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:44,120
Then the two of them
decided that the next victim
438
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:46,160
that they were going to rape and abduct,
439
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:47,160
they'll have to kill her
440
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:48,800
because the other two didn't listen
441
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,000
when they threatened them.
442
00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,040
I brought Frans out into my office.
443
00:29:55,800 --> 00:30:00,240
After I'd given him
the rights that he had,
444
00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,719
he was very surprised
when part of of the warning
445
00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:08,400
was that he's been charged
for attempted murder.
446
00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:11,600
He was so, so surprised because
447
00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:13,560
he asked me "Why attempted murder?"
448
00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:15,320
I said because Alison is alive.
449
00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,920
And it's the first time in my career
450
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:21,439
that I'd ever seen a hardened criminal
451
00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,600
or a hardened person like Frans -
452
00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:25,640
he was so surprised
453
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,120
that you could knock
him over with a feather.
454
00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:31,640
"Well then
455
00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,080
there's nothing I can hide
from you because she will
456
00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:36,440
obviously tell you
everything that happened."
457
00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:38,160
And he picked up his hand
458
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:39,920
and he pulled a ring off his finger
459
00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:42,240
and he handed that over
to me and he said to me
460
00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:43,600
"That belongs to Alison."
461
00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:49,440
And when I saw the ring,
I noticed blood on the ring,
462
00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,920
which we later established
belongs to Alison.
463
00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,360
One of the questions
that I asked Frans was,
464
00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,040
I cannot understand how they
go out, how he could go out,
465
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:02,080
leave his wife and child in the flat
466
00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:04,040
and go and rape an innocent woman.
467
00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,400
Although Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger
468
00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:13,320
indicated that they were
going to plead guilty,
469
00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:16,360
my work did not stop there,
470
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,839
as they could change
their mind at any time,
471
00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:23,280
so I had to see that all the exhibits
472
00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,800
and all the samples were taken
473
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:30,680
and sent to forensic labs for analysis -
474
00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:32,720
documented in a case docket
475
00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,600
where I can hand it
over to the prosecutor,
476
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,770
because the prosecutor can
only prosecute what you give him
477
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,080
as an investigating officer.
478
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:44,640
Recovery was one thing,
the physical recovery,
479
00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:47,040
but then it was the
preparation for the trial.
480
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:49,200
One of the things I had to do
481
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:50,800
was see a clinical psychologist.
482
00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:52,720
She had to assess me before the trial
483
00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:54,280
and it just wasn't the right time.
484
00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:56,840
I mean it was only five,
six months after the attack
485
00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:57,840
and I just wasn't ready.
486
00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:00,320
She explained to me at the
time the pendulum of trauma,
487
00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:02,280
that I was supposed to go
through all the emotions,
488
00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,240
grief, and sorrow, hatred and anger.
489
00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:06,320
I just wasn't angry.
490
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:07,680
But I remember I punched the pillow
491
00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:09,040
that she wanted me to in the end
492
00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:11,280
just because I was so angry
with her for not getting me.
493
00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,800
The indignation of having to
have your pubic hairs pulled
494
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,920
by different policemen at different times.
495
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,600
Just in someone's office, drop my pants
496
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:23,320
to have photographs taken of the injuries
497
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:26,040
and of my pubic area to
show the rate of recovery.
498
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,000
Different policemen, different places.
499
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:33,560
And Alison, every time
I requested her to come,
500
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,880
she came without any
argument or any question.
501
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:42,800
She was just prepared to do
whatever we asked her to do
502
00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:44,880
because she knew at that stage
503
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,560
it was for her that we were
doing this and for no one else.
504
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:53,080
And her tummy where they
stabbed her with a knife
505
00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:54,400
had not healed yet,
506
00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,320
and it was an open hole wound
507
00:32:57,920 --> 00:32:59,920
that had to heal from the inside,
508
00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:01,400
it was still there,
509
00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,240
and although that was
there she still came for...
510
00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:09,400
for all those examinations
and tests to be taken.
511
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,480
As prosecutors, we deal with victims
512
00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:19,640
that have suffered severe trauma
513
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:24,120
and it's our duty to
prevent further traumatisation
514
00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:28,480
through the legal processes
to that specific victim.
515
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:30,400
But it's also a team effort
516
00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:35,240
because we have to work
together with the police
517
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:39,320
and your investigating
officer is very important.
518
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:44,679
In Alison's case it was easy
for us because Melvin Humpel was
519
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:46,400
the investigating officer
520
00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:52,680
and he supported Alison
and us to a huge extent.
521
00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:56,360
Like for instance,
to attend an identification parade.
522
00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:01,680
The laws were that the victim
had to go to the perpetrator
523
00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:05,560
and actually place a hand on
the perpetrator's shoulder,
524
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:10,560
the suspect's shoulder,
525
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:14,520
to prove that the suspect
was pointed out by the victim.
526
00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,480
I decided that it would be better
527
00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:21,280
to try a new thing and it's never happened
528
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,560
in South Africa before,
so with the prosecution,
529
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:30,360
we decided to do a one-way
glass identification parade.
530
00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:33,160
And that's the norm today.
531
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:05,520
Even though it was behind one-way glass,
532
00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:06,800
I was still petrified
533
00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:09,720
to think of being in
the same room with them.
534
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,840
I had to leave work and go
down to the police station.
535
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:14,280
And then my name was called.
536
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:18,760
I was taken out and without much warning
537
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:21,040
was put in the room to do the ID parade.
538
00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:22,800
The room just was too small.
539
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:24,920
I remember even though
the one-way glass was there
540
00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:27,440
and even though I tried to
concentrate on getting it right,
541
00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:29,760
but at the same time wanting
to get it over with because
542
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:32,280
every second in that room
with them felt too long.
543
00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:35,400
Ok, this is a one-way glass.
544
00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:38,600
The people on the other
side are wearing numbers.
545
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:41,320
I want you, if possible,
546
00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:45,840
to inform me of the number
of the person or persons,
547
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,120
if they are here,
548
00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:51,880
who on the 18th of December last year
549
00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,560
at about 3 o'clock in the morning
550
00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:58,640
attempted to murder you
551
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:00,560
and who raped you.
552
00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:04,200
If you see the people or the person
553
00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:07,680
you must please inform me of
the numbers they are wearing.
554
00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:09,360
Do you understand?
555
00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:11,680
OK, you can have a look.
556
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:13,520
This is a one-way glass.
557
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,840
They look different, but it's number 6
558
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:31,880
and number 13.
559
00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:34,840
Is that all?
560
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:36,880
OK, thank you very much.
561
00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:47,560
In every case that
involves victims of crime,
562
00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:54,040
you as a professional are
also touched as a human being.
563
00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:58,960
Now in Alison's case what
made it so difficult for me
564
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:00,706
was the fact that
565
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:06,000
usually victims that had
suffered such injuries
566
00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:08,920
would be deceased,
567
00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:14,440
and in a sense it's
easier to deal with the -
568
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:18,200
those circumstances where
you have a post mortem.
569
00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:22,360
I remember I went home that night
570
00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,920
and I actually sat crying in the bath
571
00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:28,240
as I was telling my husband that
572
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,160
I can't believe that she's alive.
573
00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:37,400
On a daily basis I drive past the flats
574
00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,919
where they had breakfast with
575
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:46,120
the bloodied knife afterwards
and that kind of callousness,
576
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:49,040
every time I drive past
that block of flats,
577
00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:50,840
it's real to me again.
578
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:58,160
During my career I always
tried to forget about the case
579
00:37:58,200 --> 00:37:59,880
the moment they leave court
580
00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:02,400
because the next one was coming up.
581
00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:06,320
But in Alison's case it
was completely different.
582
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:09,960
I immediately noticed
the scar on her neck.
583
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:15,920
And when Alison gave evidence,
at a certain stage she remarked,
584
00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:19,360
"I always thought that my neck
585
00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:23,000
was a strong feature of my appearance
586
00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:25,080
and look at my neck now."
587
00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,000
I'll never forget the
faces of those two guys.
588
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:32,400
Frans was staring at me all the time.
589
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,160
When Frans gave evidence
in the witness box he was
590
00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:43,160
looking me in the eyes as if
he was trying to intimidate me.
591
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:45,480
Frans du Toit gave evidence
592
00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:51,280
and testified to the effect
that he was a satanist.
593
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,320
That he believed in Satan.
It was, however, very doubtful.
594
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:01,800
During the investigation
and the incarceration
595
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:07,320
of Frans du Toit,
he requested to see a pastor
596
00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:10,720
because he wanted the
demons cast out of his body.
597
00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:12,674
So I had to adhere to his request
598
00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:15,635
and I got hold of a pastor that I knew
599
00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:17,440
that does this
600
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,360
and took him to the holding cells where
601
00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:32,600
this exorcism was conducted.
602
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,040
I asked the person if he was
prepared to testify in court,
603
00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:37,018
which he did.
604
00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:41,840
And he mentioned the two demons,
Incubus and Succubus.
605
00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:46,360
Mr Du Toit actually
confused the two demons.
606
00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:50,928
It was proved that it was
just another ploy of him to
607
00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:54,840
get people to believe that
it was satanism that did it.
608
00:40:11,720 --> 00:40:18,400
Before we went to court I said
to Frans and to Theuns, I said:
609
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:21,520
"You will see that I'm
not going to handcuff you."
610
00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:24,240
"I'm doing that for a reason.
611
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,560
I want you to run. Make my day and run."
612
00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:31,480
I would have, without batting an
eyelid, I would have shot them.
613
00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:38,440
I don't even hunt. I don't like
hunting so I don't like killing
614
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:40,720
but those two guys I would have shot.
615
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:46,080
They went to court, never handcuffed ever.
616
00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:49,280
And they didn't run.
617
00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:54,880
Frans's father could not deal
with what his son had done
618
00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:57,800
and two years later he committed suicide.
619
00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:09,920
When I decided on a proper
sentence, I took into account
620
00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:12,640
as far as Alison's case is concerned,
621
00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,040
that one of these two guys
622
00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:19,320
had two previous incidents where they...
623
00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:23,400
where he committed rape
and the other one, one.
624
00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:30,400
I made the remark that my
sentence should be typed
625
00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:36,000
and that it should be placed
on the record of these two guys
626
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:37,920
in prison,
627
00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:43,160
so that the authorities
can see and can understand
628
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:47,080
that I regarded them
as a threat to society
629
00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:51,120
and that I never wanted them
to be released from prison.
630
00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:55,760
That is something that
I have never done before
631
00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:58,200
and I did not do it thereafter.
632
00:41:58,699 --> 00:42:01,332
The Constitutional Court at that stage
633
00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:05,600
had already found that the death penalty
634
00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:08,760
in South Africa in
terms of the constitution
635
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,160
would be unconstitutional.
636
00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:15,200
But thinking back now as I sit here,
637
00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,280
I think I would have seriously
638
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,280
considered the death sentence
639
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:25,760
and probably would have imposed it,
640
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:30,040
had it still been a competent sentence.
641
00:42:38,240 --> 00:42:39,674
As we stood there,
642
00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:44,240
you could look down the
steps towards the cells.
643
00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:49,040
Theuns was the last one
to go down the stairs.
644
00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:54,080
The next minute he just hit his
hand against the wood panelling
645
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,353
next to the stairs and shouted,
646
00:42:57,440 --> 00:43:00,760
"So here I go, so fuck you all."
647
00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:03,960
My baby was six weeks old
648
00:43:04,240 --> 00:43:08,200
and that was the very first
night that he slept through.
649
00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:11,720
I think the baby was also glad
650
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:14,280
that this case was finally over.
651
00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:21,680
The toughest part of the trial
652
00:43:21,720 --> 00:43:23,799
was for me not really reliving it.
653
00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:25,120
I know some people say it is,
654
00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:28,000
but I was almost
emotionally removed from it.
655
00:43:28,240 --> 00:43:30,240
It was like watching
a court room TV drama,
656
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:31,600
which I really love.
657
00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:34,680
I almost got a surprise sometimes
658
00:43:34,720 --> 00:43:36,759
when I would hear my name mentioned
659
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:37,880
in the middle of the proceedings
660
00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:39,880
and remind myself that
it was actually about me.
661
00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:42,120
My mom, also, we would sit there
662
00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:43,520
and we'd actually had a notebook.
663
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:44,440
Here we go.
664
00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:46,840
Sometimes we'de make notes,
just arbitrary notes
665
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:48,760
like, "Where are we going for lunch?"
666
00:43:49,800 --> 00:43:51,640
"Does he know what he's talking about?"
667
00:43:52,440 --> 00:43:55,000
The tough part really,
for me, was the media attention.
668
00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:11,200
But at least I had a trial.
669
00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:14,560
I can't imagine the
injustice of not having that.
670
00:44:15,240 --> 00:44:17,320
Justice doesn't minimise what happened
671
00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:18,720
but it certainly does help.
672
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:21,680
Their sentence though
was not a celebration.
673
00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:24,760
They still took something from
me that I can never get back.
674
00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:27,800
And there is never a
healing point, a finality,
675
00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:29,560
"I am healed."
676
00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:31,960
It's what others want for me.
677
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:33,160
It's what I want for me.
678
00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:35,640
And I guess as time passes
it does get a bit easier.
679
00:44:35,680 --> 00:44:37,600
They seem to have less hold of me.
680
00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:40,160
What happened seems to have less power.
681
00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:42,760
It's like exercise,
I guess, you get used to it,
682
00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:44,000
you get better at it.
683
00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:47,640
But then out of the blue,
for no reason, can be right back there.
684
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:49,000
This
685
00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:52,480
is the last bit
686
00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:55,160
of the Alison that died that night.
687
00:45:52,120 --> 00:45:53,560
After the court case
688
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:56,720
my soul never really
got a chance to mourn.
689
00:45:57,000 --> 00:45:59,000
I had to continually steel myself.
690
00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:01,840
The PHYSICAL ATTACK.
The PHYSICAL RECOVERY.
691
00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:03,040
THE COURT CASE.
692
00:46:03,080 --> 00:46:05,480
To be strong for MOM. For DAD.
693
00:46:05,720 --> 00:46:06,800
For SOUTH AFRICA.
694
00:46:06,920 --> 00:46:08,360
For others of violent crime.
695
00:46:08,680 --> 00:46:10,400
The BAD GUYS went to prison.
696
00:46:10,440 --> 00:46:13,680
I survived and everyone
got on with their lives.
697
00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:16,960
But I couldn't go back to
life as it had been before.
698
00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:19,240
I couldn't even stay in
the same place anymore.
699
00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:20,440
I moved back in with my mom.
700
00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:22,600
Fortunately she was a single woman.
701
00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:24,480
I think for her she really needed
702
00:46:24,520 --> 00:46:26,280
and wanted to look after me at that time.
703
00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:29,519
I still had to have my
wounds dressed and cleaned.
704
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:31,559
I had to have bed baths at first.
705
00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:33,120
And she helped me with all of that.
706
00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:34,760
My friends had lives to get on with
707
00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:37,240
and my mom was able to
set aside hers to help me.
708
00:46:37,323 --> 00:46:39,120
In time my wounds healed
709
00:46:39,573 --> 00:46:42,018
and I decided to have
my first proper bath.
710
00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:11,160
And that was the night
711
00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:13,440
I really looked at myself in the mirror
712
00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:14,640
for the first time.
713
00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:45,200
I've never suffered from depression.
714
00:47:45,760 --> 00:47:49,640
Not really known what it's like,
but I very quickly found out.
715
00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:53,880
I think depression would be
different for most people.
716
00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:56,040
For me, I just remember not caring.
717
00:47:56,080 --> 00:47:57,200
And that was a big deal for me
718
00:47:57,240 --> 00:47:59,320
'cause I was someone
who was so responsible.
719
00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:02,640
And for me to not go to work,
to not care about going to work,
720
00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:03,760
to sometimes not even phone them
721
00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:05,000
and tell them I wasn't coming to work.
722
00:48:05,040 --> 00:48:07,280
I didn't care about how
I looked after myself.
723
00:48:07,320 --> 00:48:09,040
I didn't care if I answered phone calls.
724
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:12,080
I didn't care if I ate
all day or ate too much.
725
00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:13,880
I remember just blaming Frans and Theuns
726
00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:15,840
entirely for how I was
feeling at the time.
727
00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:17,240
I did have a moment though.
728
00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:21,000
I was all on my own sitting at
home when I remember thinking
729
00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:24,400
that Alison, at the time
when you had to choose
730
00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:25,840
between life and death,
731
00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:27,280
you chose life.
732
00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:29,880
And it was a challenge in a way to myself
733
00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:31,375
that I had to do it again
734
00:48:31,560 --> 00:48:32,840
because by doing what I was doing
735
00:48:32,880 --> 00:48:34,240
at the time and blaming Frans and Theuns,
736
00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:36,480
I was giving them power
over my present life.
737
00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:38,440
I had to once again choose life.
738
00:48:40,560 --> 00:48:44,080
And you won't believe it,
with the depths of depression
739
00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:48,160
came the Rotary Club invitation;
for me to please come
740
00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:50,080
and share my experience with them,
741
00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:53,200
seeing as I've been so
brave in the public eye.
742
00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:57,880
Never mind that doing orals
was my biggest fear at school,
743
00:48:58,160 --> 00:48:59,600
let alone stand in front of people
744
00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:01,760
and live up to their expectations
745
00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:03,200
of me being the heroine.
746
00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:07,120
But of course, me being me,
I didn't want to disappoint
747
00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:08,840
the people who had been so supportive.
748
00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:09,840
So flipping hell,
749
00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:12,800
I pulled myself up by my
bootstraps and I went.
750
00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:15,120
And to my surprise,
751
00:49:15,400 --> 00:49:16,440
I felt better.
752
00:49:17,600 --> 00:49:20,280
I wanted to do it again. So I did.
753
00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:22,680
And I haven't stopped yet.
754
00:49:26,320 --> 00:49:29,680
The talks gave me direction,
a cause, a purpose,
755
00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:33,520
a new business and healing.
756
00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:41,359
I travelled all over the world,
met incredible people
757
00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:43,320
and I loved every minute of it.
758
00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:26,440
In the middle of
difficulty lies opportunity.
759
00:50:26,480 --> 00:50:29,000
Well, I am going to share with
you about what happened to me
760
00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:31,520
but more importantly for me,
I'm also here to share with you
761
00:50:31,560 --> 00:50:33,680
how I overcame this difficulty.
762
00:50:33,720 --> 00:50:36,320
And I'm going to share
with you then about my ABC.
763
00:50:36,800 --> 00:50:38,920
And I read a little saying
that I've always remembered
764
00:50:38,960 --> 00:50:41,160
so that I can repeat it to
these people if anyone ever comes
765
00:50:41,200 --> 00:50:42,920
up to me and says, "You're extraordinary,"
766
00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:44,640
and you might want to remember it as well.
767
00:50:44,680 --> 00:50:45,840
The little saying says:
768
00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:48,487
"There aren't any extraordinary
people in this world.
769
00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:49,800
Just ordinary people.
770
00:50:49,880 --> 00:50:53,435
But some of those ordinary people do
extraordinary things with their lives."
771
00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:55,670
Every step I took I
thought it would be my last.
772
00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:58,439
And it's impossible to
put percentages to it,
773
00:50:58,480 --> 00:51:01,080
but what felt like more than 99%,
774
00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:04,280
so 99.9% did not believe I would make it.
775
00:51:04,320 --> 00:51:07,880
I want to share with you today
my ABC in overcoming obstacles,
776
00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:09,760
and as I share with you,
I don't want you to think that
777
00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:11,960
it can only apply to a huge trauma.
778
00:51:12,240 --> 00:51:14,360
I put them into practice
with a huge trauma
779
00:51:14,400 --> 00:51:16,520
and I found them come
out with flying colours.
780
00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:18,800
And I've used them time and time again
781
00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:20,520
in dealing with my everyday problems.
782
00:51:20,560 --> 00:51:23,400
There was 0.1% that said, "Just try."
783
00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:27,520
0.1% that every time
I fell said, "Get up."
784
00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:30,139
0.1% that said, "Take one more step."
785
00:51:30,600 --> 00:51:31,840
And it was enough.
786
00:51:31,880 --> 00:51:34,467
My ABC stands for Attitude.
A is for Attitude.
787
00:51:34,840 --> 00:51:35,928
B is for Belief,
788
00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:37,320
and C is for Choice.
789
00:51:37,640 --> 00:51:40,639
And the philosophy that
I live my life by is,
790
00:51:40,680 --> 00:51:42,600
that these all fall under is this,
791
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:45,760
that you cannot always control
what happens in your life -
792
00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:46,960
we all agree on that.
793
00:51:47,080 --> 00:51:48,800
But we can always control what we do
794
00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:50,200
with what happens in our lives.
795
00:51:50,360 --> 00:51:51,520
You don't live this life
796
00:51:51,560 --> 00:51:53,160
and at the end get a chance to do it again
797
00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:55,200
or go back and fix some stuff
that you didn't do so well.
798
00:51:55,240 --> 00:51:57,480
It is life. It is happening.
799
00:51:57,880 --> 00:52:00,479
Every day while you're doing
it it's not coming back again.
800
00:52:00,520 --> 00:52:01,480
This is your chance.
801
00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:21,120
The only other time
802
00:52:21,560 --> 00:52:24,240
that I fell into a depression
803
00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:28,120
was when I had to read in the newspapers
804
00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:31,240
that my two perpetrators
might come up for parole,
805
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:34,600
despite the fact that the
judge put a special note
806
00:52:34,640 --> 00:52:37,920
on their files that they would never again
807
00:52:37,960 --> 00:52:39,000
see the light of day.
808
00:52:40,600 --> 00:52:43,040
I fought so hard that night to
809
00:52:43,840 --> 00:52:45,000
make sure that they would go to prison
810
00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:47,160
and never have the
chance to do this again.
811
00:52:48,360 --> 00:52:49,360
It's hard.
812
00:52:50,800 --> 00:52:52,320
News of parole
813
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:55,640
brings up a whole lot of
memories that is best forgotten.
814
00:52:59,800 --> 00:53:04,120
It's hard not just for me but
for my family, my mom, my dad -
815
00:53:04,160 --> 00:53:06,920
who's struggled so much in
the first place with the trauma
816
00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:09,080
and now in his old age has to do it again.
817
00:53:10,662 --> 00:53:11,826
My friends.
818
00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:14,000
Maria, who cares so much for me.
819
00:53:18,508 --> 00:53:20,428
I'm petrified that they might get out.
820
00:53:27,520 --> 00:53:31,000
I mean, I received an email
from a woman in America
821
00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:35,639
whose daughter is
apparently Frans's fiancée
822
00:53:35,680 --> 00:53:38,440
and is having a relationship
with him while he is in prison,
823
00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:41,000
and she asked me to help her.
824
00:53:42,320 --> 00:53:44,740
This is a known sex offender,
825
00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:46,320
who raped several women,
826
00:53:46,480 --> 00:53:47,800
tried to kill me
827
00:53:48,120 --> 00:53:50,399
and yet he has free access to Facebook.
828
00:53:50,440 --> 00:53:54,640
Has a full social life
there on warped sex rooms.
829
00:53:55,640 --> 00:53:57,920
And then when I tried
to do the right thing
830
00:53:59,120 --> 00:54:00,803
and wrote to the authorities,
831
00:54:01,080 --> 00:54:03,439
telling them about it,
but asking them please not to
832
00:54:03,480 --> 00:54:05,800
ever let it come out that it came from me,
833
00:54:06,400 --> 00:54:08,680
I found out that my email was printed
834
00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:10,760
and given to Frans himself.
835
00:54:13,160 --> 00:54:15,080
I mean, where are the authorities for me?
836
00:54:55,480 --> 00:54:57,880
My tale is one that is full of miracles
837
00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:00,120
and I still choose to
believe in them every day.
838
00:55:00,360 --> 00:55:03,920
My favourite one of all is the
birth of my two miracle boys.
839
00:55:04,464 --> 00:55:06,024
I wasn't meant to have children.
840
00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:08,240
My marriage might not have lasted,
841
00:55:08,280 --> 00:55:11,040
but the best thing to come out
of it will always be my boys.
842
00:55:12,320 --> 00:55:14,200
And Tiaan didn't disappoint either.
843
00:55:14,880 --> 00:55:15,960
Because of what happened to me,
844
00:55:16,000 --> 00:55:17,680
he was so determined to become a doctor.
845
00:55:17,880 --> 00:55:19,800
It took him 10 years, but he did qualify.
846
00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:23,880
He was the assisting doctor at
the birth of my second child.
847
00:55:25,520 --> 00:55:28,440
I was amazed that I
fell pregnant so easily.
848
00:55:28,520 --> 00:55:30,440
I wasn't supposed to be
able to have children.
849
00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:32,756
I'd always just accepted that fact.
850
00:55:32,800 --> 00:55:34,520
And the fact that I was
able to fall pregnant
851
00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:35,920
without any intervention
852
00:55:35,960 --> 00:55:38,320
and then carry the babies to full term,
853
00:55:38,360 --> 00:55:40,594
that was always my big
worry with all the scarring,
854
00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:42,200
with the injuries that
had happened to my abdomen,
855
00:55:42,240 --> 00:55:43,640
that things were going
to rip and tear apart
856
00:55:43,680 --> 00:55:44,640
when I was pregnant,
857
00:55:44,680 --> 00:55:45,640
but it didn't.
858
00:55:45,960 --> 00:55:48,039
I had very healthy pregnancies.
859
00:55:48,080 --> 00:55:49,000
I loved being pregnant.
860
00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:52,320
I loved feeling the moving baby inside me
861
00:55:52,360 --> 00:55:55,320
and I remember missing it really,
after they had come out.
862
00:55:55,520 --> 00:55:58,280
I also remember that feeling
of early in the morning
863
00:55:58,320 --> 00:56:00,243
when they were newborn babies,
864
00:56:00,280 --> 00:56:02,320
two o'clock, three o'clock
in the morning, all alone.
865
00:56:02,360 --> 00:56:03,200
I loved it.
866
00:56:03,240 --> 00:56:05,880
I loved knowing that the world
was asleep and I was there
867
00:56:05,920 --> 00:56:08,520
looking after my baby
and that they needed me.
868
00:56:08,680 --> 00:56:09,922
It completed me.
869
00:56:19,720 --> 00:56:22,000
I'm just me, on the beach with my boys,
870
00:56:22,360 --> 00:56:24,640
reminding myself that I have life.
871
00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:26,880
That I'm just Alison, and that is okay.
872
00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:28,760
Coping with this thing that happened to me
873
00:56:28,800 --> 00:56:30,720
in a way has given a
dream to that little girl
874
00:56:30,760 --> 00:56:31,760
who didn't have one.
875
00:56:32,040 --> 00:56:33,160
Coping with the trauma -
876
00:56:33,240 --> 00:56:35,360
some days better than others
- and being a mom.
877
00:56:35,560 --> 00:56:36,800
That is my wealth.
878
00:56:38,160 --> 00:56:39,840
Even though it's not the traditional
879
00:56:39,880 --> 00:56:41,400
fairytale happy ending,
880
00:56:41,680 --> 00:56:44,040
because this is my tale, my way.
881
00:56:44,960 --> 00:56:46,400
And this is not the end.
65772