28 Jun 2023

Residents of Maun have welcomed the newly approved Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LGP) regulations which come into effect the beginning of September.

The regulations, set by Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA), will guide activities related to LPG business such as wholesale, distribution, retail, storage, transportation and consumer installation.

In a consultative meeting with BERA officials in Maun on Monday, residents said the regulations would help address some of the challenges and at the same time level the ground for both the consumer and those in the gas business.

One of the residents, Ms Seboloki Manga said the regulations would hold gas operators accountable going forward as most consumers had always complained about the volume of gas, which they said did not last.

Another resident, Mr Tshematshe Monwela said the regulations would ensure safety and compliance, but urged BERA to also consider regulating handling of cylinder gases in open spaces such as malls and bus ranks. He said even though vendors were making ends meet by cooking food for sale in such places, the set up was risky.

Earlier on, BERA commercial manager, Mr Batsumi Rankokwane said the regulations were guided by concerns from the public and observed that many people had been operating the gas business without licenses.

He said unregulated businesses made it difficult for them to carry out investigations in the event of incidents that required their intervention.

Mr Rankokwane further advised residents to always exercise vigilance when handling gas as it could leak from a worn thread, damaged valves and loose connections.

He said some locals had the tendency to acquire licences and later issue them to foreigners to run such businesses. 

He said the gas business was reserved for Batswana as they could easily meet the requirements. 

He said of the over 100 licenses issued, less than 10 were in operation while the rest were in the hands of foreigners.

He urged Batswana to up their game and stop fronting as the arrangement undermined government efforts to empower natives. Ends