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.”