The theft of laptop computers is becoming a too familiar phenomenon in Vhembe schools and the principal, teachers and pupils at Magoni Secondary School were greeted by the sight of a broken door to the principal's office in the morning.

Thugs had used force to break open the iron door to enter the computer storage room and stole at least 11 laptops with their chargers. The door was so strong that the work of the thieves had given the school the impression that whoever stole the laptops knew about the security doors.

“We are shocked by this theft,” the principal, Mr Matome Ramarope, said. “How do we explain theft of this kind – where people steal from a school? Do people really understand the meaning of this institution?”

Ramarope said it was not the first time that the school had suffered a burglary. Last year, food meant for pupils' nutrition and a laptop were stolen in two incidents. “Whoever is stealing from us is disturbing the children's stream of education and the system,” he said. “We feel very sad. You thieves – you are destroying these children's future! Why don't you apply some common sense?”

The spokesperson for the Tshilwavhusiku police, Const Munyadziwa Marindi, said the police had opened a case of housebreaking and theft. “We ask members of the community not to buy stolen goods,” Marindi. “Whoever is found in possession of a laptop stolen from the school will be arrested. No mercy will be shown to such a person. We are warning people all the time to buy things from the shops.”

Last week, Limpopo Mirror reported on a burglary case where thieves broke into Muthuhadini Combined School and stole 16 laptops in the early hours of 4 April. Even in this case, no suspects have been arrested yet.