Deaf interpreter for Nelson Mandela memorial a fake: officials

South Africa’s deaf federation said this interpreter
(seen here with President Barack Obama after his
speech at the memorial service for former South
African president Nelson Mandela) was a fake.
The sign language interpreter used during Nelson
Mandela’s memorial service in Johannesburg on Tuesday
was a fraud who was “literally flapping his arms around,”
officials said Wednesday.
South Africa’s deaf federation confirmed the man —
who stood on stage through speeches made by U.S.
President Barack Obama and nearly 100 other heads of
state — was nothing but a fake after critics blasted his
performance online, Australia’s SBS News first reported.
“What happened at the memorial service is truly a
disgraceful thing to see,” Braam Jordaan, a board
member of the group, told the news station. “It should
not happen at all.”

The interpreter was “literally flapping his arms
around” during Obama’s speech at the Nelson
Mandela memorial on Tuesday, said one official.
The government organizers of the event held at the FNB
football stadium could not immediately be reached for
comment.