Thamsanqa Jantjies is the name of the fake sign language interpreter that stood next to Obama during his speech at the Nelson Mandela memorial service.
Jantjies was unapologetic about his clear lack of skill at Mandela’s memorial at FNB Stadium in an interview with Talk Radio 702 on Thursday.
Jantjies also revealed that he is receiving treatment for schizophrenia. He was not comfortable talking about his medical status in public, he said.
The sign language interpreter stood next to the podium and interpreted for heads of states, religious leaders and other celebrated figures on Tuesday. He was accused by the deaf community in South Africa of using incorrect signs.
When asked whether Jantjies was happy with his performance during the memorial, he said “absolutely”, stating that no one had ever questioned his abilities before.
“If the Deaf Federation of South Africa have an issue with my interpreting they should have clarified it a long time ago, not at this crucial time for our country.”
Jantjies said he was hired by a company called “Interpreters SA”, where he is a senior interpreter.
Jantjies said that he has a formal qualification in deaf sign language interpreting and that anybody wishing to see his qualification should approach Interpreters SA.
There are no details available for Interpreters SA.
.