The interim mayor of Juba, South Sudan, has been dismissed from his position following a widely circulated video that appeared to show him slapping a female street vendor.
Emmanuel Khamis Richard had resisted calls to resign, even as political pressure mounted in the wake of the video’s viral spread.
The announcement of his removal was made by the governor of Central Equatoria state on Friday evening and was subsequently reported more widely during the weekend.
MPs had previously sent a unanimous letter to the governor, urging the mayor’s removal.
Mr. Khamis Richard neither admitted nor denied the alleged incident. Prior to his dismissal, he had been summoned to face questions from Juba city councillors, but he failed to appear and instead requested a two-week delay.
No replacement has been named as of yet, but Martin Simon Wani, the head of Juba city council, has been tasked with overseeing the municipality’s operations temporarily.