Shooting calls for recognition
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday October 20, 2026 11:04
Gaborone Rifle Club chairperson, Jon Smuts, noted shooting is a relatively new sport in the country and urged people not to be intimidated by firearms. He explained that the sport involves the use of proper firearms and live ammunition under controlled conditions. Smuts described shooting as an untapped sport and said the club and its members are working towards registering the Shooting Society of Botswana. He added that they had engaged the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) for assistance and are making progress.
“We have shooters from Botswana competing in international competitions under South African colours, which is not good,” Smuts said in an interview with Sport Monitor on the sidelines of the Frank Jansen Memorial Shoot, held at Tshele Range in Rasesa. “We go there and win medals, and we could be doing that for Botswana, not South Africa,” he added. For his part, Brigadier David Nkete said they had approached the ROS in an effort to register an association. However, they were advised that, because they did not have the required 20 clubs, they would need to seek a waiver from the Minister of Home Affairs. “We had advanced reasons why we are failing to have 20 clubs, and we only have 13 clubs. We have requested a waiver from the Minister, but he has not responded since the beginning of the year,” Nkete said. On the memorial shoot, Smuts explained Jansen had been a member of the Gaborone Rifle Club for many years and had also served as its commandant.
He said the late Jansen was instrumental in persuading the BDF to allow the club to operate at Tshele Range. Smuts added that the club is now carrying forward Jansen’s legacy as a marksman and competitive shooter across various disciplines. “We do not normally have rifle and shotgun events taking place at the same time, as we did today. We usually shoot rifles or shotguns on a given day,” he said. “However, because Jansen was an all-rounder and a marksman in rifles, shotguns and pistols, we felt it was fitting to honour his legacy. The support we receive from the BDF is also because Jansen was a soldier and one of their own.” Smuts said 43 shooters took part in the competition, which he described as challenging due to several factors, including the weather.
He noted that shooting was not solely about the skill of the competitor, as external conditions could also affect performance. Smuts added that the event was particularly significant because civilians competed alongside BDF shooters, an arrangement he described as a new development. Asked about the standard of the BDF shooters, Smuts gave a mixed assessment, pointing to equipment limitations despite the presence of highly skilled competitors. “Regarding the skills of the BDF shooters, I could say yes and no because there are limitations in terms of equipment, but some shooters are very good. If they are given enough equipment, they can do much better,” Smuts said.
He explained that the competition had initially been scheduled for an earlier date but was postponed after the club was broken into. The culprits stole cables used in the voice-activated trap-release system for shotguns, forcing the club to delay the event because it was important to include the shotgun discipline. “We made a plan within a week and changed the machines we had been buying from Italy. We now have a supplier in South Africa. It has been a good year for the club, but things were much better last year. Shooting is an expensive sport. “We are a non-profit-making club and rely on our members. Unfortunately, everything has to be imported, from guns to ballistics equipment. People are here for the love of the sport,” Smuts said.