The Deaf Federation of South Africa has expressed outrage over the professionalism of the sign interpreter who participated at Nelson Mandela’s memorial on Tuesday.
Describing the interpreter as a fake in a statement by the National Director, Deaf SA , Bruno Drunchen, the community said, “The so-called ‘interpreter’ who interpreted at the official memorial service for late former president Nelson Mandela at FNB stadium has been dubbed the ‘fake interpreter’ and the deaf community is in outrage.
“He is not known by the Deaf Community in South Africa or by the South African Sign Language interpreters working in the field.
“The signs (self-invented signs) the interpreter used are not used in South African Sign Language and it is a total mockery of the language.”
All over South Africa, members of the deaf community have continued to voice their outrage over the actions of the sign interpreter to news mediums and blogs, some calling him an embarrassment.
The association also said that the interpreter did not use the established, recognised signs for the names of Mandela; South African President Jacob Zuma; and his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, among others.
While the sign interpreter, who is yet to be identified, signed on Tuesday, Vice President of the World Federation of the Deaf and a deaf member of the South African Parliament, Wilma Newhoudt, tweeted, “ANC-linked interpreter on the stage with Deputy President of ANC is signing rubbish. He cannot sign. Please get him off.”
South African sign language interpreter Francois Deysel tweeted, “Please can someone ask the interpreter to step down from the stage; it is embarrassing and making a mockery of our profession.”
A signing trainer at the Deaf Federation of South Africa, Francois Deysa,l described the South African sign language as having its own structure and unlinked with any spoken language like Afrikaans, Xhosa or English.
Deysal also added that the interpreter was not known to the deaf community or other interpreters in South Africa.
Young Deaf Leader for the World Federation of the Deaf South African, Braam Jordaan, said the interpreter was creating his own signs. He added that deaf people had been excluded in South Africa long before apartheid happened.
Jordaan said, “There is one sign language interpreter for every 10,000 deaf people in South Africa.”
The sign interpreter said to have been employed by ANC head office or used by them was on Tuesday seen on stage signing as friends and family of Mandela and world leaders paid tribute to the former South African president. Mandela’s memorial service was broadcast live by major national and international news channels.
The South African government had said it was preparing a statement on the issue and was investigating reports about the poor sign-language interpretation at the memorial, Minister in the Presidency, Collins Chabane, said.
Earlier, government spokeswoman, Phumla Williams, had said she could not immediately comment on the allegations.
Williams said, “I am still trying to get the feedback from the people who hired him. I am not in a position to respond. Once I have that information I will respond.”
A spokesman for the ruling ANC, Jackson Mthembu, said the party did not employ him for the event. He however did not name the interpreter.
“We have used him on some occasions but yesterday was not an ANC event so we cannot answer for yesterday,” Mthembu said. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Loool. Seeing the man on TV sef, me wey I no know sign language felt like he was just dancing. We Africans are a funny bunch, honestly, no matter where we are from, we still get am for Body
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