03 Jul 2018

The Firing Competition is said to provide an opportunity for soldiers to sharpen their weapons’ handling skills and inculcate esprit de corps amongst the teams that participated.

This was said by second brigade commander at the Botswana Defence Force (BDF)  Brigadier Joseph Seelo during the awarding of medals and trophies to best marksmen to mark the closing of the 2018 Firing Competition held at Mantswe a Ditswhene firing range near Selebi Phikwe recently.

The three-day firing competition was attended by marksmen teams from various barracks in the BDF and South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF).

Brig Seelo said participation by SANDF added value to the competition and nurtured cordial relations between the two sister defence forces.

He explained that such events came as a result of bilateral meetings on defence and security between Botswana Defence Force and South African National Defence Force where decisions to have firing competitions were made.

“This demonstrates how much collaboration we have with South Africa. We do border patrols together and other military exercises,” he said.

For his part,  coordinator of the Firing Competition Colonel Joseph Mathambo explained that the Firing Competitions have been taking place annually to sharpen soldiers marksmanship.

He added that the competition also gave soldiers from the BDF and SANDF an opportunity to share skills regarding the use of different weaponry.

He said the event also strengthened friendship between BDF and SANDF noting that the annual marksman competition ended with Sir Seretse Khama Barracks team obtaining the most points and being crowned the 2018 Firing Competition winners.

“Soldiers from the two sister countries competed in target shooting from a 100, 200, 300-metre points using AK47 and FN rifles,” he said. 

He said about 20 teams took part in the event to display their accuracy in pinpointing targets and shooting from different ranges.

Captain Christoffel Johannes Tredoux who was the SANDF team leader acknowledged the BDF for inviting his organisation to take part in the firing competition. He explained that it was not the first time SANDF took part in the inter- formation firing competition.

He went on to state that a good soldier was identified by three qualities and that was discipline, fitness, and marksmanship.

He said  SANDF was fortunate to take part in the event not only to compare their marksmanship but also to interact with BDF personnel and establish friendships.

Mayor of Selebi Phikwe Mr Molosiwa Molosiwa commended the BDF for holding the competition noting that it improved and strengthen relations between Botswana and South Africa.

He also commended the BDF for raising funds from their pockets and through a fundraising concert to purchase goods for less privileged people in the community.They donated blankets, toiletry and laundry items to 30 individuals from Mmadinare, Damochujenaa, Tobane and Selebi Phikwe. Ends