A 43-year-old mother has survived after her attackers tied her up, forced down a bar of soap down her throat and left her to die in the bathroom of her home in KwaZulu-Natal.

According to Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) spokesperson Prem Balram, the attackers also covered the mother in cooking oil to prevent her from standing up and turning on the hot water before leaving.

Balram said the brutal attack happened on Wednesday after in Parkgate in KwaZulu-Natal.

“We received a call at 14:44 from the victim’s 20-year-old daughter requesting assistance at their home on Greenwood Close,” he said.

He said the daughter informed them that she had found her mother bound and gagged in the shower and believed to be dead.

“All available reaction officers and paramedics were dispatched to the residence on arrival removed the obstruction from the woman’s airway before cutting off her restraints. She regained consciousness and started crying uncontrollably,” Barlam said.

The traumatised mother then explained that she was conducting chores in the yard when she was accosted by a man armed with a knife.

She said one attacker was dressed in blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt while the second attacker was dressed in black pants and a black jacket.

“The attackers ransacked the home in search of valuables. They discovered the key to a safe from which they stole a large amount of cash. They then forced the woman into the shower, where they bound her hands and legs with a scarf.

“They covered her in cooking oil to prevent her from standing up. They then asked her to point out the hot water tap as both taps were unmarked. The woman showed them the cold water tap, which they opened before they stuffed a bar of soap wrapped with toilet paper and plastic down her throat. The robbers then fled,” Balram said.

He said her daughter arrived at the residence and found the driveway gate locked.

“She called out to her mother and was forced to jump over the gate after she did not receive a response. When she entered the house she discovered her unresponsive mother in the shower.”

Balram said it could not be confirmed if the robbers fled on foot or in a vehicle.