ONE of the three laptops that were stolen from Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven's house in Brackenhurst, east of Johannesburg, contains drafts of confidential internal documents that have not been made available to the federation's members.

Craven, whose house was broken into by unknown people on Tuesday night, believes that the invaders were not "just your common thieves" but people who knew what they wanted.

Craven was reluctant yesterday to link the theft to people who could have an interest in the outcomes of the coming Cosatu congress in September, which will also elect new leadership for the labour federation.

"I do not want to speculate. The matter has been left to the police to complete their investigation. I would not say the documents and the drafts have anything to do with the coming congress," Craven said.

He said burglars opened the window without breaking it, went through burglar bars then took three laptops.

Craven was sleeping with his wife, Norma, and they did not hear any movement in the house.

"We heard nothing, there was no broken glass. We only realised in the morning there had been a burglary," he said.

A week earlier another house of a Cosatu official, Sibusiso Gumede, was broken into and his work laptop was also stolen.

The precision of the house-breakers has led to Cosatu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi tweeting that "it may be an act of criminality or even intelligence operatives at work. This happened to me twice in the past".

Police spokesperson Captain Pinky Tsinyane said they were following all the clues they could.