The man accused of faking sign language interpretation at Nelson Mandela's memorial has said he was suffering from hallucinations at the time. South African minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said an investigation was underway into the incident.
The man accused of faking sign language interpretation at Nelson Mandela's memorial service has branded his detractors "cowards".
Asked what he thought of those people who think he is a "fraud", Thamsanqa Jantjie told NBC News, "They are cowards ... You call me a fraud, take mirror and look at yourself in the mirror and say 'I'm a coward'.
"If you call me a fraud you should have called me a fraud a long time ago, not on that day in question."
Having just met the sign language interpreter from Mandela's memorial, his explanation that he had a schizophrenic attack seems plausible.
Deaf organisations have complained after the man translating the speeches at Nelson Mandela's memorial service 'signed gibberish'.