Violent swings in the national mood are nothing new in South Africa. Even so the way that the gloom of last year has given way to a sunnier atmosphere following the election of President Jacob Zuma is remarkable, all the more so since it has coincided with the onset of recession.
Last year many South Africans seemed to be expecting the worst, with power cuts, xenophobic violence and a rising wave of crime. The ascendancy of Mr Zuma, supported by the left-wing trades unions and Communist Party, added to this cocktail of concern, not least because, for much of the past decade, this traditional man of Zulu ethnicity has faced a series of corruption charges.
