How Alison Botha’s horrific ordeal created an incredible initiative that's saved lives

Loading player...
On an evening in December 1994, an extraordinary event took place in Alison’s ordinary life.

She was abducted by two men and taken to the outskirts of the coastal city of Port Elizabeth in South Africa, where they raped and brutally assaulted her. She was stabbed in the abdomen more than 30 times, and her throat was slit from side to side. The men left her for dead in the bushes. But somehow, she lived. Somehow she was able to find her way back to the road where she collapsed. A car finally stopped and found the near-dead Alison.

Despite the odds, she lived.

Woman INpowered really started when Alison Botha got up and decided to live in December 1994, but the idea was born in 2000 when Mark Grobbler wrote his thesis.

It became a full-time concern in 2012. WIP, as its known, is an extremely simple, easy to learn yet devastatingly effective self INpowerment system that has been designed specifically for Women (and now men too) to give them the ability to make a choice in a threatening situation.

Mark joins Brent Lindeque in a candid discussion about Alison, the WIP program and how it saved a Miss South Africa’s life.

Listen to the Good Things episode here.
26 Apr 2022 English South Africa Society & Culture · Daily News

Other recent episodes

From Heart Surgery to Hope: Brandon Fairweather Shares His Story!

This week on "Good Things with Brent Lindeque", I chat to Brandon Fairweather, whose extraordinary health journey has inspired a deeply personal book about anxiety, hope and healing. Born with a congenital heart defect, Brandon underwent open-heart surgery at just 28 years old. While the operation was successful, the years…
4 Aug 30 min

Good News Sounds Better Together: Inside the Good Things Guy Poddie

If you're looking for something inspiring to listen to, or watch, the Good Things Guy poddie has just reached an exciting milestone. After more than 12 years of sharing South Africa's most uplifting stories, the podcast has now released 71 video episodes since making the move from audio to video…
28 Jul 26 min

From Dad to Dakar: Alex Torrão Is Chasing the Dream of a Lifetime

A Johannesburg dad is proving that growing up does not mean giving up on the dreams you carried as a kid. Alex Torrão is a father of three, an entrepreneur and the man behind #DAD2DAKAR, an incredible journey to qualify for one of the toughest motorsport events on the planet,…
15 Jul 25 min

Lady Lea Talks Music, Memories and Her Legendary Career

One of South Africa's most iconic DJs is the latest guest on Good Things with Brent Lindeque. Lady Lea joins the podcast to look back on an incredible career spanning more than 31 years, from starting behind the decks at just 14 years old to performing for crowds of more…
8 Jul 33 min