Another spate of housebreakings is afflicting Louis Trichardt, with the St Mark´s Anglican Church being struck twice in 10 days.

On March 17, when the church’s computer was stolen from Rev Gail Blunden’s study, entrance was gained by forcing open the burglar bars in front of a window. The study is en suite to the main bedroom.

“The robber must have stood in the door and watch us sleep. I am normally a very light sleeper, but strangely enough I was not awakened,” Rev Blunden said.

The dogs, who are old and a bit hard of hearing, did, however, bark profusely at about 04:00. The dogs sleep in the bedroom. Gail’s husband, Rev Mike Blunden, got up and walked out of the bedroom and through the house with the dogs. The dogs then left the house and barked in the backyard. The robber must then have been escaping through the window and over the wall. The Blundens went back to sleep.

At 07:00, Rev Gail was at the Makhado Police station, not to report the crime, but to do regular morning devotions with them. It was only after she returned home at about 08:00 that she entered the study and discovered the empty space where the computer had been. She drew away the curtains and saw the bent burglar bars. The window had been open. The police were notified. One of the officers who came out was Insp Temba Tlatla from the crime record centre, who had been in the morning meeting with her. Unfortunately, he could not succeed in lifting any fingerprints.

“My whole life in this town was on that computer. All my church work, the church records, financial statements, letterheads and programmes that I use for the church that I purchased online. I have lost the bank of worship songs that I have accumulated and the certificates I have designed for the church. All our photographs, e-mail addresses, medical records and tax records are on that computer. The machine is replaceable, but the information is not,” Rev Blunden said.

On Tuesday morning, March 8, the church hall was also broken into. The premises are normally locked, but Rev. Blunden opened the gate at 06:45 for an exercise class in the hall at 07:00. The theft probably took place between 06:45 and 07:00. The robber stood on a dustbin by a window at the side of the hall and climbed through the window. He accumulated some of the things in the hall and the kitchen that he wanted to steal, but then must have been disturbed by the people entering into the hall at 07:00. He left everything, except for a pot of minced meat.

“We only discovered that the meat was gone when we were preparing for our church’s pancake sale that afternoon,” Blunden said.