A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

Just when you think that Robert Mugabe has tapped out his talent for annihilating Zimbabwe, we are confronted with this:

Edmund Zimba has a deep scar on the side of his face from a hatchet wound inflicted by a supporter of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party. Until last weekend the scar, legacy of a previous crackdown by Zanu-PF, dominated the young opposition activist's face.

But on Saturday night it was eclipsed by an even more hideous injury. His lower jaw is now a mishmash of stitches and dried blood after a Zanu-PF supporter attacked him with a bottle and left him for dead.

It was the day after Zanu-PF said President Robert Mugabe would take on Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, in a run-off after the ruling party's apparent defeat in last month's presidential election.

"He was saying: `You opposition people are going too far. Why are you crying for the results [of the elections]?'" Mr Zimba recalled. "As he started to kick me he yelled: `The ruling party is always the ruling party.'"

And via an e-mail from Josh Treviño, we see that Mugabe wants to make conditions more violent still. At this point, it is safe to say that even Satan would weep over what has been done to Zimbabwe.