‘Schizophrenic’ Interpreter Goes On Defensive

Jantjie took the usual step of defending his inept performance at the memorial by questioning why, if he was so bad at his job, it hadn’t been pointed out before, which is a bit like a defendant querying a guilty verdict on the grounds that he’d committed the same crime several times in the past without being caught.

In an interview with 702’s John Robbie, Jantjie proved to be as articulate with his mouth as he is with his hands. Asked how he felt about the universal condemnation of his signing at the memorial, he responded:

“It’s very sad at this present moment, because I believe that it was the issue that had to be dealt with earlier. If Deaf South Africa have a query against my interpreting, it was supposed to be put it into clarity a long time ago and not during this crucial time in our country.”

When Robbie pointed out that people from around the world had criticised him, he repeated the argument.

“If I was interpreting not right, why it has not been pick up by that time I was busy, you must remember you are talking about an interpreter who has been interpreting throughout these years, and then if I was interpreting wrong through these years, why should it become an issue now? It’s one of these questions that I will never ever get the answer from it.”

Asked if he as happy with his signing abilities, and more specifically, his performance at the memorial, he said:

“Absolutely! Absolutely! What I’ve been doing, I think that I’ve been a champion of sign language, as I was saying that you know I have interpreted in many big events, not only the event that’s in question now."

Referencing media reports in which Jantjie was quoted as claiming he suffered from schitzophrenia, Robbie asked him if this was indeed the case. The “champion of sign language” chose to play it mum however, saying he would rather not discuss his medical status on the grounds that it would harm his children (he would later admit to using medication for the disorder).

However, Jantjie had earlier told IOL.co.za not only that he suffered from Schizophrenia, but that a bout of intense happiness or pressure experienced during the memorial had triggered an episode characterised by visual and sonic hallucinations .

“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.”

Jantjie claimed that despite the fact that he was suddenly plagued by visual hallucinations, and hearing loud voices in his head, he felt it best to persevere in making random signs with his hands in the hope that no one would notice anything was wrong. He went on to suggest that he was in fact the victim in this story, and not the many deaf people deprived of the chance to comprehend, in the moment, what was being said during the memorial.

“Life is unfair. This illness is unfair. Anyone who doesn’t understand this illness will think that I’m just making this up,” he said.

The 34-year-old supports himself through interpreting for the deaf, and said he would be paid R850 for the event.

Meanwhile, the SA Translator’s Institute (Sati) released a statement on Wednesday, questioning Jantjies motives and integrity.

"We suspect there was something underhand about him. How else was he working on such an important occasion when he did not seem to know what he was doing?" said chairman of Sati, Johan Blaauw.

Blaauw went on to blast the ANC for failing to intervene when the interpreter proved entirely inept.

"The ANC did not do anything," he said . "I'm afraid this thing has left the whole of South Africa with egg on its face."

"That person was not using sign language, not even signs accepted in the sign language."

To watch a clip of Jantjie plying his trade at an official ANC function, click here.