A Limpopo school has been employing blind people to work as guards, inadvertently creating a security risk.

Their presence has apparently ended a spate of burglaries at Botsholla High School in Moletji's Flora Village in the past three years.

Rufus Moyaha, who is blind, worked as a volunteer guard at the school for two-and-a-half years until he left in August this year.

Another blind man has replaced him. Nothing was stolen from the school while he was on duty. He sometimes relies on his wife to escort him to work.

It is not known whether the second man is also a volunteer or formally employed.

Moyaha, who was also chairperson of the school governing body, said he decided to volunteer as a guard when he realised that the school had not had anyone to guard it for some time.

"Before I decided to volunteer as a guard at the school, it experienced a spate of burglaries," Moyaha said. Items stolen from the school included two PCs that were used to teach computer skills to community members.

"Since we took over there have been no burglaries at the school," he said.

But a local resident has raised doubts over the manner in which the school authorities took their decisions.

"For blind people, day and night is the same. They will also be incapable of fighting thieves," the resident said.

Limpopo education department spokesperson Ndo Mangala said the Employment Equity Act catered for people with disabilities.

"If security duties can be performed by a blind person we do not have a problem. But if it's clear that only a sighted person can perform those duties then the employment of blind people becomes out of line," Mangala said.