WASHINGTON – The South African man who bizarrely provided fake sign language interpretation for Nelson Mandela’s memorial service has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, the country’s Star newspaper reported.
Thamsanqa Jantjie was admitted to the Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital for treatment after being taken there by his wife for a check-up on Tuesday, according to the paper.
Jantjie stood on stage just feet from President Obama during the live televised broadcast of Mandela’s memorial service at Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium this month — making hand gestures that were unintelligible to people who know legitimate sign languages.
Jantjie later explained that he had “seen angels and heard voices.”
“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 Star.
“The past few days have been hard. We have been supportive because he might have had a breakdown,” said Jantjie’s wife, Siziwe.
The paper reported that Jantjie skipped a scheduled mental health checkup on the day of the service.