As a storm of racism accusations gripped South Africa this week, voices of reason began emerging. With the country's elected leaders, including President Jacob Zuma, silent on the escalating tirades, respected national figures and church leaders called for calm. Analysts blamed the declining economy for rising tensions and cautioned against over-reacting to people who use social media platforms to vent their prejudices.For a week the country has been gripped by a torrent of racially charged comments and insults being hurled across the colour lines.They included:[Former] Jawitz estate agent Penny Sparrow saying: "From now... I ... Shall address the blacks of South Africa as monkeys as I see the cute little monkeys do the same pick drop and litter";Standard Bank economist Chris Hart saying: "More than 25 years after apartheid ended, the victims are increasing along with a sense of entitlement and hatred towards minorities.";Gauteng Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation Department official Velaphi Khumalo, posting on Facebook that black South Africans should do to white people what "Hitler did to the Jews"; andA [former] African Bank labour relations employee, Ziyanda Mncono Zish, posting on Facebook: "I didn't see South African Indian and Coloured and Asian react once in the recent monkey saga or is it just because they don't see themselves as black?"Employers of all four individuals are investigating the incidents.African Bank has contacted Times LIVE to say Ziyanda Mncono Zish has not worked for them since November 2015, and that they have contacted her, requesting that she update her Facebook page accordingly.The ANC Youth League yesterday marched through the Johannesburg city centre to Standard Bank offices to hand over a memorandum about Hart's tweets and call for his dismissal.Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, South African Council of Churches acting general secretary, said racism had to be addressed."We have all this anger among us, which comes because we are a wounded nation. Racism is part of the DNA of South Africa's society, that is how it was created. What you call South Africa now was created with racism, colonialism and apartheid. It all had an impact on creating what this country is today, thus promoting ethnic and racial isolationism."Driving tensions and intolerance among South Africans is poverty. The time is now [to work on tolerance]. We have to think about reconciliation and healing."The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation condemned both Sparrow's and Khumalo's statements."It is outrageous that Khumalo can invoke the horrors of the Holocaust. This is clearly hate speech."Public servants are meant to serve everyone, irrespective of race. If Khumalo believes white people should be 'cleansed' from South Africa then he should not be working as a public servant."Former speaker of parliament Frene Ginwala said racism continued to trouble South Africa because some did not accept the atrocities of the past and that they were party to them."Everybody was surprised that we did not have a lot of racism in 1994. It was because of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the leadership of Mandela and the ANC in dealing with this issue ... However, some of the white people seem to think that they were entitled to this reconciliation."They do not see it as a remarkable thing. They do not recognise that black people went through a lot during the time of apartheid. It was not just apartheid. It was years of colonisation and then apartheid. Reconciliation gave white people a feeling of entitlement."She said: "People must understand that the fact that you have made certain laws to transform the country does not mean that everything has changed."There has to be a debate and understanding from both sides that the past was gruesome."Political commentator Moeletsi Mbeki believes people are exploiting social media platforms to express views aimed at compromising democracy."There are a few sociopaths in South Africa who have found that they can publicise their views via social media ... who think they can create interracial conflict and found that it is free to use social media. Unfortunately, their schemes get publicised by the formal media."Then silly people from the black side respond to those comments and create an atmosphere of mass hysteria."Mienke Steyler, South African Institute of Race Relations spokesman, said punishment of perpetrators of hate speech and racism was a short-term solution and more needed to be done with policies."Over 50% of South Africa's young people are without work, and our economy is growing at 1%, with the consequence that South Africans are frustrated, under pressure, and feel threatened, causing them to lash out."Once the majority of South Africans have jobs and are empowered, we will see the country thrive and racist incidents decrease significantly."..