The South African sign language interpreter accused of gesticulating gibberish as world leaders paid tribute to Nelson Mandela defended himself as a "champion" signer on Thursday, but said he suffered a schizophrenic episode during Tuesday's event, Reuters reported.
Identified as 34-year-old Thamsanqa Jantjie, the interpreter said he started hearing voices and hallucinating while on stage, resulting in hand gestures that made no sense to outraged deaf people around the world.
"There was nothing I could do. I was alone in a very dangerous situation," Jantjie told Johannesburg's Star newspaper. "I tried to control myself and not show the world what was going on. I am very sorry. It's the situation I found myself in."
He said he took his medication for schizophrenia, but doesn't know what triggered the attack, Reuters reported.
"What happened that day, I see angels come to the stadium ... I start realizing that the problem is here," Jantjie told the Associated Press. "And the problem, I don't know the attack of this problem, how will it comes. Sometimes I react violent on that place. Sometimes I will see things that chase me.
"I was in a very difficult position," he told the AP. "And remember those people, the president and everyone, they were armed, there was armed police around me. If I start panicking I'll start being a problem. I have to deal with this in a manner so that I mustn't embarrass my country."
TV viewers around the world saw Jantjie interpreting for leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, at Tuesday's Mandela memorial.
South Africa's leading deaf association denounced Jantjie as a fake, saying he was inventing signs.
However, in a radio interview Jantjie said he was happy with his performance at the memorial to the anti-apartheid hero, who died a week ago aged 95.
"Absolutely, absolutely," he told Talk Radio 702. "I think that I've been a champion of sign language."
Jantigie said he doesn't understand why people are complaining now rather than during other performances, according to Reuters.
Revelations about Jantjie's unconventional gestures sparked a controversial search for the mystery mimer on Wednesday. The government, which was in charge of the mass memorial, said it had no idea who he was, a comment echoed by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), even though footage from two large ANC events last year showed him signing on stage next to Zuma.
Jantjie said he worked for a company called SA Interpreters hired by the ANC for Tuesday's ceremony at Johannesburg's 95,000-seat Soccer City stadium.
"Absolutely. That's what happened," he told the radio.
According to Reuters, the ANC said it was investigating and denied any knowledge of Jantjie.
"I'm very, very surprised," spokesman Jackson Mthembu said. "We will follow this up. We are not sure if there is any truth in what has been said."
