Proud to be black but my humanity has no colour

Recent events show that our nation is in need of a bold return to its spirit of nonracialism that carried us into a reconciled future in 1994.

Yet Prince Mashele seems incredulous that I would see "myself as more a human being than a black person" in his article "Idea of a colourless society is a sham" (January 25).

Of course race is a primary part of my being, and I celebrate that I am a black South African. But I do not want that to be the primary lens through which my actions, words and contributions are judged - I want to be seen for my humanity. And humanity does not have a colour. I am not the first black person to make this plea.

Martin Luther King jnr famously asked to be judged by the content of his character, not by the colour of skin.

Nelson Mandela electrified the world at the Rivonia Trial when he spoke of "the struggle of the African people".

After rejecting white domination and black domination, he concluded that he "cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities".

The brilliance of this speech was that it appealed to a shared humanness; it did not pit black South Africans' identities against white South Africans' identities.

Mandela defined a democracy as a place in which everyone - black and white - would live in harmony. This destination, Mandela insisted, is reached through "equal opportunities". There can be no harmony without fair access to opportunities. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our democratic constitution with its unparalleled Bill of Rights, we must not forget that the constitutional framework today agrees with the ANC's stated commitment to nonracialism. Any divergence from this signifies an immense U-turn by the ANC.

My appeal to nonracialism and a renewed emphasis on human-ness is thus forged in the fire of South Africa's Struggle history.

The foundational question that I ask, though, is how to overcome apartheid's racist classifications and deep divisions to build a non-racial economy in which everyone has equal opportunities. As most South Africans are black, it is plain that most beneficiaries of redress measures like BEE and affirmative action should be blacks. This is certainly not the truth in SA yet.

The conundrum is that with an economy stuttering along at 1%growth this year, the cake is simply too small as things stand.

Not only do I acknowledge that the majority of South Africans were discriminated against by racial supremacy, I acknowledge that they remain oppressed by an economy of insiders that has changed little from the one that underpinned apartheid.

This is a direct failure of the ANC's economic policies. I don't want an economy based on political connections with no basis in merit. I want an economy which is based on fairness, effort and passion.

BEE and affirmative action as they stand have only created a new class of insiders. They have done nothing to reduce inequality and increase economic opportunity.

Studies have shown that there is a very strong link between the level of economic opportunities and the prosperity of a nation. The higher the freedom score, the lower the rate of unemployment.

The more repressed the economy, the more impoverished its citizens. Equally, inflation rates nearly always rise as economic opportunity falls. SA inflation rate could hit 6% this year - 5% faster than growth.

Real redress is only possible if we have an inclusive and fast-growing economy with Johannesburg positioned at the heart of the economy. Our aspiration must be a South Africa where the economy grows so fast we'll have trouble filling jobs.

That's why I've been campaigning with Mmusi Maimane this week on one of the best ways to provide redress to the poorest people in Johannesburg.

If elected to serve Johannesburg, we will make sure all citizens get their title deeds, get homes, and get empowered to access funds to establish their own businesses. We will also end the corruption in the housing lists, and make the process transparent.

We will end the restrictive government red tape and lack of access to capital, which blocks small black-owned businesses from breaking into the mainstream economy.

We will do everything in our power to leverage the city's property portfolio, establish financing mechanisms for small businesses, and make Johannesburg a city with full internet connectivity.

We will be looking at innovations like private, low-fee schools to help turn around our education system. We'll support these by identifying empty, city-owned properties that entrepreneurs can turn into top performing schools of excellence.

Our shared humanity must be the basis on which we build our democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

Mashaba is the DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate