There was drama at Mandela`s memorial service when one interpreter using sign language was revealed to be a “fake”.
The man is still yet to be identified.
Had the man known what he was doing he would have proved to be handy due to the poor sound system that was used as most people were reported to have failed to hear what some of the world leaders were saying.
Deaf people who were watching proceedings of the event at Soccer City Stadium raised concerns on Tuesday.
National director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa Bruno Druchen, said the unidentified man, who was on stage alongside world leaders including US President Barack Obama, “was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for”.
Sign language experts said the man was neither signing in any South African or American languages.
The South African sign language is believed to cover all the 11 languages spoken in the country.
Sign language experts have declared the man`s gestures were meaningless.
Following this event concerns have been raised over the security of world leaders.
An official sign language interpreterNicole Du Toit who also watched the broadcast, said the man on stage was an “embarrassment”.
Delphin Hlungwane, an official South African sign language interpreter with DeafSA, said authorities were trying to track the man down.
During the interpretation drama the man did not indicate that the crowd was booing and jeering at Jacob Zuma
She said: “There was zero percent accuracy. He couldn’t even get the basics right. He couldn’t even say thank you.
“You’re supposed to indicate with your facial expressions, even if it’s not an exact sign. He didn’t indicate that (booing of Jacob Zuma) at all. It just passed him by.
“Nobody knows who he is. Even at this hour we still don’t have his name.”
Paul Breckell, chief executive of Action on Hearing Loss, said: “The use of appropriately qualified communication support is crucial to ensure that deaf people can engage with and access the same opportunities as hearing people.
“Sign Language, be it British, International or South African, is a visual and expressive language yet the limited number of signs, the amount of repetition, lack of facial expressions and huge gaps in translation meant that deaf or hard of hearing people across the world were completely excluded from one of the biggest events in recent history.”
The Deaf Federation of South Africa is believed to be preparing a statement on the issue.
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