The sign language translator at Nelson Mandela memorial service, who was accused by the SA Deaf Federation of making up his own signs during the ceremony, has responded to the accusation. 

34 year old Thamsanqa Jantjie told Johannesburg Star newspaper that he had a schizophrenic attack during the ceremony hence his senseless signs. He said he started hearing voices & was hallucinating while on stage with world leaders.

"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 told the paper. He said he was on medication for Schizophrenia and wondered why he still had the attack

He also spoke with a SA based radio station, where he was asked if he was satisfied with his performance, he replied "Absolutely, absolutely. I think that I've been a champion of sign language".

How embarrassing! Lol. According to South Africa's Deaf Federation, the sign translator who was seen by millions of people on TV translating at Nelson Mandela's Memorial Service yesterday was a fake, who was making up his own signs. SADF said the man, seen moving his hands beside world leaders as they gave their speech at FNB stadium, communicated nothing that made sense. 

"The structure of his hand, facial expressions and the body movements did not follow what the speaker was saying. I was really upset and humiliated. He made up his own signs. What happened at the memorial service is truly a disgraceful thing to see. It should not happen at all. It will be forever aligned with Nelson Mandela & Deaf Community, thanks to this fake interpreter.'  A member of the World Deaf Federation said

The public, invited heads of states and international guests will be able to view his body from today till Friday. He will be buried in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province on Sunday Dec. 15th. See more photos after cut...

Nelson Mandela was like a “magician” who conjured a united nation out of a country teetering on the brink of war, South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu said Monday.
“Everybody was saying we would go up in flames,” the archbishop emeritus told a memorial service for Mandela in Johannesburg.
“He really was like a magician with a magic wand, turning us into this glorious, multi-coloured rainbow people.
“This repulsive caterpillar, South Africa, that used to be the world’s pariah, he turned into a beautiful, beautiful butterfly.
“That is what we are celebrating,” Tutu told hundreds of mourners of all races who filled the memorial venue for an emotional service.
Tutu said the world must not mourn his old friend’s death, but rather celebrate his life and example.
“He emerged from that crucible of suffering and being dehumanised, breaking rocks… sewing post office bags, working in the quarry,” during his 27-year incarceration under the apartheid regime’s racial laws.
“But instead of being consumed by hate and a lust for revenge, (he became) a stalwart for reconciliation… and forgiveness.”
The moving gathering ended with singer Johnny Clegg performing the track “Asimbonanga” he had written for Mandela in 1976.
The title means “We’ve never seen him” and refers to the long years Mandela spent in jail when all images of him were banned.(AFP)

Crowds paid tribute, dancing and singing in front of Mr Mandela's former home in Soweto throughout the night.
Flags flew at half mast after President Jacob Zuma announced his death in a late night national TV address.
Mr Mandela spent 27 years in jail before becoming South Africa's first black president in 1994.
His administration replaced the racist white-minority regime that had enforced segregation of black and white people in a policy known as apartheid.
Mr Mandela went on to become one of the world's most respected statesmen.
A service of national mourning is expected to be held at a 95,000-seater stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg on Monday. His body will then lie in state for three days in the capital, Pretoria, before being taken for a state funeral in the village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, where he grew up.
"God was so good to us in South Africa by giving us Nelson Mandela to be our president at a crucial moment in our history," said long-time ally Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Mr Mandela had been suffering from a lung illness for a long time.
He had been receiving treatment at home since September, when he was discharged from hospital.
As soon as the news broke, small crowds began to gather in Soweto's Vilakazi Street, where Mr Mandela lived in the 1940s and 1950s.
They chanted apartheid-era songs, including one with the lyrics: "We have not seen Mandela in the place where he is, in the place where he is kept."
By daybreak, dozens more had gathered.
"We are celebrating his life and all that he did for us," said one of the mourners, Terry Mokoena.
Crowds also gathered outside Mr Mandela's current home, in Johannesburg's northern suburb of Houghton, where he died.
Across the world, leaders, celebrities and members of the public have been paying tribute.
Pope Francis said he had forged "a new South Africa built on the firm foundations of non-violence, reconciliation and truth.
"I pray that the late president's example will inspire generations of South Africans to put justice and the common good at the forefront of their political aspirations," he said.
Queen Elizabeth II said she was "deeply saddened" to learn of Mr Mandela's death.
"He worked tirelessly for the good of his country, and his legacy is the peaceful South Africa we see today," a statement issued by Buckingham Palace said.

Ailing peace icon Nelson Mandela, who is receiving treatment at home after spending nearly three months in hospital, is "fine", his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has said.