I see nothing of real substance that Brig-Gen Chipwere speaks of as implied by the headline.

Regarding the first incident, Brig Gen Chipwere says the death could have been avoided had the deceased not strayed in the cantonment area…….but he avoids saying the death could also have been avoided had the soldier not fired wily nily at the deceased without verifying his intentions and identity.

In the second incident where soldiers were involved in armed robbery, Brig-Gen Chipwere conveniently does not comment, obviously because there is no justification whatsoever for soldiers to be involved in armed robberies.

In the third incident, the Brigadier is at pains magnifying the warning shots that the soldier fired as the crowd charged, but not pointing out that a firearm should never be an option in such circumstances. We are also not told what the soldier was doing with a firearm in those civilian spaces. (Comment by Chasura Hungwe)

The Brig is taking a defensive posture and trying to blame members of the public for all these incidences.

This kind of approach will not solve the real issues at hand. The issue of discipline in the rank and file of the security forces need to be looked into. The ZDF needs to carry out thorough investigations to get to the bottom of these issues otherwise if this is not done this will come back to haunt them in a matter of time .At this moment these soldiers are still robbing a few thousand dollars from the people but in time they will want more and they will turn their guns on the VIPs, VVIPs and the ruling class and by then the problem will have spiraled out of control.
Right now armed robbery cases need very stiff sentences(minimum 20 years) and if its committed by any member of the security forces then it must be at least 30 years.

The image of the ZDF is at stake and taking a defensive position will not solve the issues at hand. The ZDF must not wait for members of the public to report any mis-behaviour from their members, the ZDF must take a proactive stance, how can the public report the behaviour of ZDF members who reside in barracks and cantonments?  (2nd Comment)

People must report any member of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) engaging in criminal activities or unbecoming behaviour, the ZDF said in a statement on New Year’s Eve after seven people died in three recent shootings, one involving a robbery, one involving a soldier now in custody reacting to a mob attack and another involving a man who ignored warnings in a cantonment area.
Brigadier-General Augustine Chipwere, in a statement yesterday, expressed the ZDF’s regret at the deaths.
“The ZDF acknowledges and regrets the loss of innocent lives and deeply commiserates with the bereaved families and communities. The ZDF will assist all the bereaved families in accordance with regulations pertaining to such incidents. “The ZDF wishes to appeal to members of the public to report any member of the ZDF who behaves in a criminal manner or displays behaviour not in keeping with the ZDF code of conduct, to the nearest cantonment area or to phone the following numbers 024 2792661 and 071 2808007 so that corrective action is taken promptly,” Brig-Gen Chipwere said. In the first incident, a ZDF member who was on patrol on Christmas Eve within the cantonment area at Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base in Gweru shot and injured Painos Zihesvu Dzvetsvera who later succumbed to his injuries. Brig-Gen Chipwere said the death could have been prevented had the late Mr Dzvetsvera observed and complied with sign posts around the cantonment area and instructions by the patrol.

On the same day Sergeant Lameck Kabara and Corporal Christopher Charuma were part of an armed robbery gang at 2345 Fern Road, Hatfield in Harare that resulted in the death of Elvis Chijaka and serious injury to Brian Chijaka. The two soldiers and their accomplices are already before the courts.
In the third incident on Christmas Day, there was a shooting at Wanganui Shops in Mhondoro Ngezi at around 6pm resulting in the death of five people. According to Brig-Gen Chipwere, investigations indicate Lance Corporal Monga had a misunderstanding with a civilian, Brian Mutero, at the shops resulting in a mob attack on Lance Corporal Monga. After being cornered and in the melee and confusion that followed, Lance Corporal Monga warned the crowd by firing three rounds into the air.
“Despite the warning shots, the crowd continued to close in on him. He then fired his weapon into the crowd thereby killing four people on the spot and injuring four others, of whom one later died at a local clinic. The other three who sustained minor injuries were medically attended to and discharged from hospital,” Brig-Gen Chipwere said.
He said after the incident, Lance Corporal Monga then sought assistance from a nearby school where one of the teachers drove him to the nearest police station but out of fear, the police officers who were manning the police station could not effect an arrest.
The soldier then walked throughout the night to his camp where he handed himself over to the military authorities who in turn surrendered him to the police.- State Media report