Survivor's Story Inspires 16,000 Women to Learn Self-Defense

When Alison Botha survived a brutal 1994 attack that left her for dead, she had no idea her words would one day save thousands of lives.

Mark Grobbelaar met Alison during a chance encounter in London in 1990. Years later, he read about her horrific December 1994 abduction and assault in a magazine, stunned to recognize the name of someone he once knew.

The two reconnected in April 2000. As a fifth-dan karate practitioner, Mark had studied self-defense for years, but hearing Alison's full story changed everything he thought he knew about personal safety.

"I realized that I had to share what I had known for so long with the world," Mark says. "Knowing something, having that knowledge, could potentially save someone's life."

He wrote his thesis titled "Girl Power: Self Defence for Women," which became the foundation for what's now called INpowered. When Alison read it, she shared one devastating sentence: "Had I known this, my ordeal would never have happened."

That moment transformed Mark's passion into a mission. In 2012, he left corporate life to launch Woman INpowered, teaching practical self-protection skills to women across South Africa.

The program has since reached more than 16,000 women and girls, teaching them to recognize danger, defuse threatening situations, and respond when necessary. The initiative expanded to include Guy Responsibly INpowered, bringing men into the conversation about preventing violence.

The impact has already proven life-changing. Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow credits the INpowered program for helping her survive an attempted hijacking just after she was crowned Miss South Africa.

The Ripple Effect

Now Mark wants to reach even more women through The INpowered Big Break on March 18 at The Tryst in Johannesburg. The event aims to gather 1,000 everyday people to break wooden boards simultaneously, shattering the current record set by 300 trained martial artists.

"Breaking the board symbolizes doing something you thought impossible," Mark explains. "It gives you the belief that you have a choice, that you are not a victim, and that you don't have to be afraid."

Every ticket purchased funds full self-defense training for women who need it most. The goal: reach 2,500 women and girls in 2026 through underprivileged schools, shelters, and organizations like Women For Change.

For Mark, this has never been about martial arts. It's about knowledge, choice, and empowerment.

Today, thousands of women know what Alison wished she had learned, and that knowledge is spreading one board break at a time.