Al Jama-ah's Thapelo Amad is Johannesburg's new mayor
Just after the DA's Mpho Phalatse was ousted as Johannesburg mayor, Al Jama-ah's Thapelo Amad was elected to the position.
Thapelo Amad during an interview with Radio Islam on 27 January 2023. Picture: Screengrab/Radio Islam International YouTube
JOHANNESBURG - Just a day after the Democratic Alliance’s Mpho Phalatse was removed as mayor of Johannesburg through a no-confidence vote, councillors at the Johannesburg City Council cast their votes for a new mayor.
Al Jama-ah's Thapelo Amad is the transitional Johannesburg mayor. He won by 138 votes, while the Phalatse received 81 and and Action SA’s Funzi Ngobeni was supported by 46 councillors. They were nominated earlier on Friday.
"I am humbled by this opportunity to lead the City of Johannesburg and I would like to thank all the support that was rendered by councillors and I would like to request that the support continues... This is a bigger task given to me and I believe that with unity we will defeat," said Amad.
He said he made history by being elected as the first Muslim mayor of South Africa's economic hub.
"It has nothing to do with the religion. There are no racial lines. We are humanity and we need to serve."
READ: Who is Johannesburg's new mayor, Thapelo Amad?
The Independent Electoral Commission oversaw the voting process to ensure all protocols were followed. The voting was in the form of a secret ballot and the votes were counted by the IEC thereafter.
There are 268 voting councillors.
Some councillors were subjected to disciplinary hearings for not voting for candidates tipped by their parties in previous meetings.
AMAD VOWS TO PRIORITISE SERVICE DELIVERY
Amad vowed to tackle the backlog in fixing the city’s crumbling infrastructure.
He said in recent months, the dire state of South Africa’s most populous city was put on display, adding that its water, sanitation, electricity, and road networks have been neglected to the brink of collapse.
“We will see to make sure that the most basic services are extended to all corners of the city. Refuse collection, potholes, sewage spillage. There is no justification as to why our people should endure the stench of raw sewage running down the streets in a city like hours,” he said.
Meanwhile, The African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg on Friday confirmed that once negotiations with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have successfully concluded it will contest the mayoral position in the city.
Last November talks between the two parties in the City of Ekurhuleni collapsed when the EFF refused to vote in support of an ANC candidate for the mayoral position.
Morero said the ANC was committed to reaching a consensus with the EFF.
“I’m still the candidate mayor for the ANC and once the negotiations have been concluded there will be a handover process and the ANC will take Joburg and EFF will take over Ekurhuleni.”
