Lashing rain, a half-empty stadium, near-constant booing of current president Jacob Zuma and an ill-timed selfie by Barack Obama – the Nelson Mandela memorial service was not exactly how South Africans wanted to remember Madiba.

In a further twist, it has been claimed the African National Congress sign language interpreter who signed during announcements and world leaders’ speeches, including Mr Obama, was making it up as he went along.

After deaf people and others who can sign called out the interpreter on Twitter, and on the UK-based deaf news blog the Limping Chicken, during the memorial at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters said it did not recognise the man’s actions as any form of sign language.

ANC linked interpreter cannot sign at all, he's making up signs. Please get him off — wilma newhoudt (@newhoudt) December 10, 2013

‘It seems quite obvious that the interpreter isn’t using South African sign language,’ WASLI representative Sheena Walters told SBS.




‘Most sign languages across the world share a similar structure and pattern and this person seems to be making a lot of repetitive signs and isn’t displaying the usual facial expression or structure of sign language that you would normally see.’

Deaf groups have said they could not recognise the sign language used (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Braam Jordaan, a deaf South African and board member of the World Deaf Federation, added: ‘I was really upset and humiliated. He made up his own signs.

‘What happened at the memorial service is truly disgraceful thing to see – it should not happen at all.’

It is understood that the same interpreter has been used at previous events run by the African National Congress, which is now said to have launched an investigation into his actions.