Nelson Mandela 'Fake' Sign Language Interpreter Was Hallucinating Flying Angels

Let’s offer a brief recap of the matter at hand. First, Nelson Mandela, one of the world’s last great liberators, according to Barack Obama, passed away last week. Then at his memorial service, the sign language interpreter was pinned as a fraud, fake signing throughout the entire service. Now, in an unexpected turn of events, the interpreter claims that he was having a schizophrenic episode during the ceremony that caused him to hallucinate and hear voices. And the befuddlement doesn’t end there. The company that hired him has disappeared.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, the “fake” interpreter, told the Associated Press that he saw angels flying into Johannesburg’s FNB stadium, which is a touching story in itself. “What happened that day, I see angels come to the stadium,” he said. “I start realizing that the problem is here.”

At first, the sight of angels warms the soul. They denote Mandela’s peaceful passing into heaven. But Jantjie was nervous. He said that similar episodes have triggered many violent reactions in the past.

“Sometimes I react violent on that place. Sometimes I will see things that chase me,” he said. “And remember those people, the president and everyone, they were armed, there was armed police around me. If I start panicking I’ll start being a problem. I have to deal with this in a manner so that I mustn’t embarrass my country.”

Jantjie knew what was at stake, but proceeded with his duties regardless, confident that he could avoid another episode. In fact, he claims that he was due for a six-month check up with his doctor that very day to determine whether or not he should continue his medication or check into a mental health care facility.

The company that hired Jantjie, SA Interpreters, was aware of his condition but unaware of his appointment. However, the company has been unable answer any questions as they’ve “vanished into thin air,” according to a South African cabinet member. South African government officials, as well as the Associated Press, visited the company’s listed address, but found a different company who had no information regarding SA Interpreters.

More details of this wild story are bound to unravel as speculations run wild and the search for the elusive SA Interpreters continues.