Thapelo Amad Biography: Age, Wife, Qualifications, Parents, Education & Children

Biography

Thapelo Amad is a South African politician and imam. He is a member of the Johannesburg City Council and is affiliated with the Islamist party, Al Jama-ah. On 27 January 2023, Amad was elected interim mayor of Johannesburg with the support of the African National Congress following a vote of no-confidence for his predecessor Mpho Phalatse. With the support of the ruling party, ANC, and a higher number of votes, he became mayor. Amad has been the face of his Al Jama-ah’s mayoral candidacy since 2019. He carried out various legislative duties in the municipality of Johannesburg.

Age

The exact age of Thapelo Amad is unknown to the public. The only information about that is that he was born in Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa, either in 1981 or 1982. The full birthdate is unknown.

Wife

There is no information about Thapelo Amad’s wife. It is unknown if he is married because he has kept his private life away from the public.

Qualifications

Amad has a BA in Islamic Studies, an NQF Level 4 qualification in Entrepreneurship, and an NQF Level 5 qualification in Gender Mainstreaming in Public Service. He has a Certificate of Competence (in View).

He was Al Jama-ah’s mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg, the MMC for Development Planning, the Regional political party leader, and the chief whip in Johannesburg. He is also the Chairperson of Johannesburg’s Section 79 oversight portfolio committee on governance.

Thapelo Amad is an Imam.

Mayoralty;

On 26 January 2023, Mpho Phalatse was voted out as Mayor of Johannesburg in a motion of no confidence. Since Thapelo Amad was supported by the ANC, the largest party in the council, and its coalition partners, it was revealed that he would likely succeed her.

In a statement, the ANC said that Amad would serve as an interim mayor of Johannesburg until the party finalizes a coalition agreement with the Economic Freedom Fighters, the kingmakers in the council. On January 28, during the council meeting, Thapelo Amad, Mpho Phalatse, and ActionSA’s Funzi Ngobeni were all nominated for mayor. Al Jama-ah’s Amad was officially elected mayor with 138 votes. Phalatse came in second with 81 votes, while Ngobeni got 46 votes.

With the support of the African National Congress, Amad became the first Muslim Mayor of Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest metropolis.

In his acceptance speech, Amad said he was “humbled” to be voted into the position. He also promised to fix the financial crisis that was facing Johannesburg and to make sure that service providers were paid for their work. He also pledged to create jobs for the residents of the city.

Concerning the electricity crisis, he said,

“This means that energy security should be one of the key priorities. This means that we will look beyond Eskom in order to guarantee energy security for our people and businesses, and we will be seized with efforts to find electricity from other sources, including renewables,”

Parents

The only information about Thapelo Amad’s parents is that they are Muslims. There is nothing about them online.

Education

Thapelo Amad earned a BA in Islamic Studies and an NQF Level 4 qualification in entrepreneurship. He also attended the National School of Government, where he obtained an NQF Level 5 qualification in gender mainstreaming in public service. He is currently studying for a Certificate of Competence through the South African Local Government Association. Amad is a part of the ASRI Future Leaders fellowship.

Children

There is no information available about Thapelo Amad’s children. He has kept details about his private life away from the public.