Related News
‘Champion’ interpreter says he’s schizophrenic
Print Edition
A SIGN-LANGUAGE interpreter accused of miming nonsense as world leaders paid tribute to Nelson Mandela defended himself as a “champion” signer yesterday, but said he suffered a schizophrenic episode during the event.
Thamsanqa Jantjie, 34, told Johannesburg’s Star newspaper he started hearing voices and hallucinating while on stage, resulting in gestures that made no sense to outraged deaf people around the world.
“There was nothing I could do. I was alone in a very dangerous situation. I tried to control myself and not show the world what was going on. I am very sorry. It’s the situation I found myself in,” he said.
Jantjie said he took medication for his schizophrenia.
The government admitted Jantjie was not a professional interpreter but played down security concerns at his sharing the podium with world leaders including US President Barack Obama at Tuesday’s memorial in Johannesburg.
“He was procured. He did not just rock up,” Deputy Disabilities Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu told a news conference. “Did a mistake happen? Yes. He became overwhelmed. He did not use the normal signs. We accept all that.”
After the memorial, South Africa’s leading deaf association denounced him as a fake, making up gestures to be put into the mouths of Obama and his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma.
Cara Loening, director of Sign Language Education and Development in Cape Town, labelled him a “complete fraud” whose signing looked like someone “trying to swat a few flies away from his face and his head.”
Besides the security issues, the controversy cast a shadow over South Africa’s 10-day farewell to its first black president, who died a week ago aged 95.
It also heaps more pressure on Zuma, who is fighting a slew of corruption allegations against him and his administration and who was booed by the crowd on Tuesday. Footage from two large African National Congress events last year shows Jantjie signing on stage next to Zuma, although the ruling party said it had no idea who he was.
In a radio interview, Jantjie said he was happy with his performance at the memorial.
“Absolutely, absolutely. I think that I’ve been a champion of sign language,” he told Johannesburg’s Talk Radio 702.
The publicity surrounding Jantjie’s unconventional gestures — experts said he did not know even basic signs such as “thank you” or “Mandela” — sparked a hunt for him and his employers.
Bogopane-Zulu said the management of SA Interpreters had “fled the glare of publicity.”
“We managed to get hold of them, and then we spoke to them wanting some answers and they vanished into thin air,” she said. “It’s a clear indication that over the years they managed to get away with this.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
