The Governor of Central Equatoria State on Friday removed acting Mayor Emmanuel Khamis Richard and directed the Chief Executive Officer of Juba City Council to Supervise the institution’s activities.

This comes after the national legislature, women’s rights groups and individual advocates demanded the removal of Emmanuel Khamis Richard within 72 hours as a video of him slapping a female vendor went viral on social media.

It is not clear when he committed the offence, but in a 2-minute and 9-second video clip, the ex-acting Mayor, accompanied by armed police and others, assaulted vendors along the Seventh-Day roundabout.

Khamis had two pistols when he and his guards chased the vendors and confiscated their stuff.

The video caused a public outcry with South Sudanese social media users calling it an act of bad and poor leadership.

In a gubernatorial decree posted on the official page of the state’s press unit, Governor Emmanuel Adil revoked the assignment of the Lainya Commissioner as the caretaker of the Juba City council.

Adil immediately Directed the Chief Executive Officer of Juba City Council, Martin Simon Wani to Supervise the General Activities of the Juba City Council until a new Mayor is appointed.

The decree was effected on Friday, 15 September, 2023.