Mandela ‘signer’ sent to psych unit

The interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial, who said that he had suffered a schizophrenic episode during the service after being labelled a fraud, has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, South African media reported.

Thamsanqa Jantjie’s sign language performance at last week’s event sparked outrage, with experts saying his translations of the eulogies — including those by US president Barack Obama and Mandela’s grandchildren — amounted to little more than “flapping his arms around” and “just making funny gestures.”

The Star newspaper said Jantjie’s wife Siziwe had taken her husband for a check-up at a psychiatric hospital near Johannesburg on Tuesday, which suggested he be admitted immediately.