S Africa investigates 'fake signer' security checks

South Africa's deputy disability minister says the
government is investigating how a man who faked sign
language at the Mandela memorial was given security
clearance.

Thamsanqa Dyantyi, who stood alongside world leaders at
the event, has denied being a fraud, and said he panicked
when he began hallucinating.
He said he had schizophrenia, which had in the past made
him act violently.
The agency that employed him, SA Interpreters, has
reportedly vanished.
The African National Congress (ANC) said it had used Mr
Dyantyi as an interpreter several times before, and "had
not been aware of any of complaints regarding the quality
of services, qualifications or reported illnesses" of the
interpreter.
But it said Tuesday's memorial at a stadium in
Johannesburg was organised by the state, not the ANC, so
the ruling party could not comment on security
arrangements.
The South African Translators' Institute said earlier there
had been complaints over Mr Dyantyi's work before, but
that the ANC had taken no action.
The ANC said it would "follow up the reported
correspondence that has supposedly been sent to us in
this regard and where necessary act on it".
'No embarrassment'
Mr Mandela died last week at the age of 95, and will be
buried on Sunday.
His body is currently lying in state in Pretoria, with
thousands queuing to pay their respects.
During the memorial, Mr Dyantyi stood on the stage next
to key speakers including US President Barack Obama,
South African President Jacob Zuma and Mr Mandela's
grandchildren, translating their eulogies.
Mr Dyantyi's performance was watched on television by
millions of people worldwide and angered the South
African deaf community. Pressure has been mounting on
the government to explain why he was hired for such an
important event.
Deputy Disability Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu told a
news conference on Thursday: "Firstly, I don't think South
Africa as a country would put at risk anybody's security,
especially those of heads of state.
"Secondly, when somebody provides a service of a sign
language interpreter, I don't think... somebody would say:
'Is your head ok? Do you have any mental disability?' I
think the focus was on: 'Are you able to sign? Can you
provide the services?'"
But she said: "In terms of security clearance that is in a
process, we are requesting to check his vetting."
Ms Bogopane-Zulu apologised to the deaf community but
said there was no reason for the country to be
embarrassed.

"There are as many as a hundred sign language dialects,"
she said, explaining that Mr Dyantyi speaks Xhosa and that
"the English was a bit too much for him".
She also accused Mr Dyantyi's employers of being
"cheats", and said the directors of SA Interpreters had
since vanished.
Mr Dyantyi himself has blamed his flawed interpretation
on a schizophrenic episode.
He told the Associated Press he had often been violent in
the past, and had been due to attend a routine mental
health check-up on the day of the memorial, to determine
whether he needed to be admitted to hospital.
He told the BBC that during the event, he had had a
breakdown, and started hallucinating that angels were
coming down into the crowd.
"I started knowing that I am not real, because it's not
something possible. But believe me I saw them coming on
stage.
"From that moment, it was not myself," he said, saying he
had becoming concerned for the safety of people in the
stadium and was "absolutely" aware that he was not
signing correctly.