December 12, 2013

"Mandela Interpreter Says He Was Hallucinating/Says He Entered Altered State As He Took His Place on Stage."

That might excuse him, but it does not excuse whoever did the security check.
Thamsanqa Jantjie said... that as he took the stage within arms' length of Mr. Obama and other leaders at a memorial in a Johannesburg soccer stadium on Tuesday, he slipped into an altered state. He said he saw angels coming into the stadium.

"I don't know the attack of this problem, how will it come... Sometimes I get violent on that place. Sometimes I will see things chasing me."

34 comments:

jr565 said...

Sorry, but as disrespectful as it was it was kind of funny. Especially since he was doing it for so long and no one noticed.
That there is a grade A prank.
Well done.
The fact that it was done at Mandela's funeral disrespectful. He'll have to live with that. And the hallucination excuse is garbage.
It was funny though

Ann Althouse said...

Why do angels suddenly appear
Every time Obama walks near
Just like me, they long to be
Close to God!

Amexpat said...

but it does not excuse whoever did the security check.

The secret service would check for security risks of persons that will be in close proximity to the President, not how well they can do their job. In any event, there are limitations to how much control the US secret service can have at such an occasion. Some reliance on the host country is necessary.

If he was checked for weapons and the POTUS had protection nearby, then there was no real security risk.

Chef Mojo said...

Terrorists around the world are facepalming and saying, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Bob Boyd said...

To me its no surprise that a guy who populates the world with imaginary angels and demons, then does his job accordingly, did not stick out from the crowd surrounding Obama.

Michael said...

I read an interesting take: that the South Africans are unaware that the person standing next to speakers at European events is signing for the deaf. And in cargo cult-like fashion they simply hired this guy to stand up there, like the Europeans do, and have someone moving their hands around. Surely this can't be true.

I would make a wager that the guy cannot sign for the deaf in any language whether he is in an altered state or not, hallucinating or not.

mesquito said...

First I would like to see some evidence that he is really an interpreter. All we have in the article is his word and he's loony.

Deb said...

Mr. Jantjie said in the radio interview that he had interpreted at other high-profile events including the funeral of Albertina Sisulu, one of Mr. Mandela's comrades in the fight against white-minority rule in South Africa. She died in 2011.

"If I was interpreting wrong through these years why should it become an issue now?" he said.


He has a point.

southcentralpa said...

Well, since moderation is on, consider this an email -- have you seen the story of the teen who got probation for killing while driving drunk

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/12/10/teen-sentenced-to-probation-for-deadly-dwi-crash/

In an odd sort of way, I hope this verdict was the product of bribery, since the implications of someone buying this on their own are almost too horrible to contemplate ...

CatherineM said...

I don't believe that at all. He wanted to be there and he got in.

Thank God he wasn't there to murder anyone.

Heather said...

It was Peggy Hill speaking Spanish. He didn't know how bad he was.

It wasn't until he got on a world stage where people knew and cared that it became apparent that he was really bad at signing.

Bob Boyd said...

Without any training or experience, this guy applied for the job, got the job and fooled people for years by just putting on an elaborate show.
The fact that he was standing on stage next to a lot of important people put him beyond question in the minds of most people.
Those who really understood that what he was saying actually made no sense were ignored.
And now we have this South African interpreter doing the same thing.

chickelit said...

Ann Althouse said...
Why do angels suddenly appear
Every time Obama walks near
Just like me, they long to be
Close to God!


He was signing in tongues!

Carol said...

Every freak has some goddamn shrinky excuse now..he knows his lines well.

Meade said...

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

rehajm said...

There was a government job with excellent compensation and a relative there to give it to him. There was no ability to do the job or ethical conflict accepting compensation for a job he could not perform.

Massachusetts government runs like this.

FullMoon said...

"And when I flipped out on PHC
I was so sad, I didn't even get a letter
All of the drugs, that we took
It really was lots of fun
But when they shoot you up with thorizene on crystal smoke
You choke like a son of a gun"

Thank you Meade, for driving "Close to you " out of my mind. What a relief.

Gahrie said...

And now we have this South African interpreter doing the same thing.

I see what you did there...and agree.

jacksonjay said...


Peggy Hill is my favorite substitute Spanish teacher!

Scott M said...

"I don't know the attack of this problem, how will it come... Sometimes I get violent on that place. Sometimes I will see things chasing me."

And the SS let him within arms reach of POTUS.

Humperdink said...

@Bob Boyd. Thread winner.

I can't stand Scar'bro. This morning on Morning RINO, Joe was "signing" Mika when she started talking. It was hilarious. Mika was not amused.

Heartless Aztec said...

Nobody noticed that the fake sign language translator was accurate in his translation of the President's speech? He should be hired for all of the President's speeches and appearances.

mccullough said...

Meade, nice Psycho Killer reference. Just made me download it from iTunes. You deserve a commission

3john2 said...

I kept looking for Johnny Knoxville to show up.

3john2 said...

At least Jantjie knew better than to try and take a selfie with the heads of state.

David said...

I took a look at the entire White House photofeed of the event.

The entire thing was a massive security fail waiting to happen.

But the fail never came.

Thank God for that, and thank you Nelson Mandella.

cubanbob said...

A fabulist conjuring a hallucinatory interpretation of another fabulist's hallucinations.

Paul said...

Security Check?

Hahahaha.. in South Africa?

SA is like Chicago... corrupt to the bone.

They just did an Obama check.

traditionalguy said...

Maybe he was a Pentecostal signing in unknown tongues.

Indigo Red said...

Hallucinating my ass. Here's the same clown interpreting a speech for Jacob Zuma January 2013.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/video-fake-mandela-memorial-sign-language-interpreter-at-anc-event-alongside-jacob-zuma-8999687.html

Bumsurf said...

Are we all just now realizing that Obama is faking it too, however sans hand waving.

Darrell said...

Almost every politician there has been faking it their entire career. Why should the minor players be any different.

Charlotte C said...

I read an interesting take: that the South Africans are unaware that the person standing next to speakers at European events is signing for the deaf...Surely this can't be true.

LOL! You're right, it's not true, It's shocking that you'd think it would be. Unlike the party hack who was hired to do the Mandela funeral, each and every TV broadcast has trained sign language interpreters who sign in South African Sign Language, one of the 200 global sign languages.

Anonymous said...

Why couldn't they get Garret Morris?