Explosives Act set for overhaul

The first draft of the system, which would be promulgated through an amendment of the Explosives Act, was discussed during the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR) stakeholders’ workshop that ended in Gaborone yesterday. The priority is to amend the Explosives Act and regulations to strengthen penalties for illegal possession of explosives, theft of explosives and falsification of records.

The law must also prevent a person who has been convicted of offences related to explosives from possessing them. Deputy director and chief inspector of explosives in the Department of Mines, Rahul Bohra, stated that the penalties and fines that have been provided in the Act for other offences are too low to be a deterrent as evidenced by the rise in the use of illegally possessed explosives in criminal activities. He said explosives were frequently used in breaking safes in business premises and automated teller machines (ATMs).