Fake sign language interpreter at Mandela memorial hospitalized

KRUGERSDORP, South Africa, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The man who faked interpreting the memorial service for former South African Nelson Mandela for the deaf was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, his wife said.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, whose fake sign-language interpretation was internationally derided, was admitted to Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital in Krugersdorp on Tuesday after a routine checkup, the Star in Johannesburg reported Thursday.

"The past few days have been hard. We have been supportive because he might have had a breakdown," Thamsanqa Jantjie's wife, Siziwe Jantjie, said.

After his sham interpretation of speakers at the memorial service for Mandela last week, Jantjie said he had suffered a schizophrenic episode in which he had "seen angels and heard voices."

The Star said Jantjie was supposed to have had his checkup Dec. 10, but when he was offered the job to interpret at the memorial service on that day, his wife called the hospital on his behalf and asked for another appointment.