Folks, I have to tell you that we’ve just finished the pre-record of An Hour with an Angel, and Archangel Michael confirmed that the interpreter did in fact see angels at Nelson Mandella’s memorial service. Of course most people will not believe that a radio show actually speaks to angels, never mind that an interpreter can see angels.

Never mind that Nelson Mandella himself actually came through on the program and addressed this world from the other. And there’s more that I’d rather you heard from AAM and him.

There is much the majority of people are not yet ready to believe and this is just one example.

Thamsanqa Jantjie: “I see angels come into the stadium”

The sign interpreter, Thamsanqa Jantjie, will probably experience persecution and that’s deeply regrettable. He’s being called a “fake” (see article below).  I personally believe he was only reporting what he saw.  He didn’t fake anything. It just took his breath away and caused him to lose himself for a bit. It would cause any of us to lose ourselves for a bit!

All the “experts” will doubt him and his sanity. They will inv0ke the old paradigm of empirical materialism to the effect that only what can be seen with the physical eyes is real. We’ve probably heard it all before.

Who could stand up, alone, to the intense scrutiny that his comments will bring and have brought? Not many of us probably….

That having been said, Nelson Mandella’s address to the world can be heard on today’s show.  Linda, Graham and I are all still feeling pretty overwhelmed by all that was said. 

None of us are interested in promoting anything. But anyone who wants to hear some pretty amazing things about Nelson can listen to the Dec. 12 broadcast in a few hours at https://www.blogtalkradio.com/inlight_radio. (I apologize to the reader who sent the story in. Cannot find the original email.)

S. Africa investigates ‘fake signer’ security checks

BBC News, 12 December 2013

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25345627

South Africa’s deputy disability minister says the government is investigating how a man who faked sign language at the Mandela memorial was given security clearance.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, who stood alongside world leaders at the event, has denied being a fraud, and said he panicked when he began hallucinating.

He said he had schizophrenia, which had in the past made him act violently.

The agency that employed him, SA Interpreters, has reportedly vanished.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Joseph Winter BBC News, Johannesburg

South Africa’s Deputy Disability Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu admitted that hiring an unqualified sign language interpreter was a mistake but denies suggestions that the government should be embarrassed.

However, many South Africans, deaf people around the world and no doubt the US presidential security team will disagree.

Ms Bogopane-Zulu says the agency through which Thamsanqa Jantjie was recruited has “vanished into thin air” after providing a sub-standard service for many years – previous clients are said to have included other government agencies and the ANC.

Nobody has yet admitted to recruiting SA Interpreters and Mr Jantjie, but whoever was responsible will no doubt be asked to make a similar mea culpa.

This scandal is partially overshadowing the national mourning for Nelson Mandela, who continues to lie in state. South Africa will hope the outstanding questions will be answered before his funeral on Sunday.

• South Africa’s grief drowned out by interpreter row

The African National Congress (ANC) said it had used Mr Jantjie as an interpreter several times before, and “had not been aware of any of complaints regarding the quality of services, qualifications or reported illnesses” of the interpreter.

But it said Tuesday’s memorial at a stadium in Johannesburg was organised by the state, not the ANC, so the ruling party could not comment on security arrangements.

The South African Translators’ Institute said earlier there had been complaints over Mr Jantjie’s work before, but that the ANC had taken no action.

The ANC said it would “follow up the reported correspondence that has supposedly been sent to us in this regard and where necessary act on it”.

‘No embarrassment’

Mr Mandela died last week at the age of 95, and will be buried on Sunday.

His body is currently lying in state in Pretoria, with thousands queuing to pay their respects.

During the memorial, Mr Jantjie (also spelt Dyantyi) stood on the stage next to key speakers including US President Barack Obama, South African President Jacob Zuma and Mr Mandela’s grandchildren, translating their eulogies.

An interpreter on South Africa’s SABC TV shows the signing which should have been used

Mr Jantjie’s performance was watched on television by millions of people worldwide and angered the South African deaf community. Pressure has been mounting on the government to explain why he was hired for such an important event.

Deputy Disability Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu told a news conference on Thursday: “Firstly, I don’t think South Africa as a country would put at risk anybody’s security, especially those of heads of state.

“Secondly, when somebody provides a service of a sign language interpreter, I don’t think… somebody would say: ‘Is your head ok? Do you have any mental disability?’ I think the focus was on: ‘Are you able to sign? Can you provide the services?'”

But she said: “In terms of security clearance that is in a process, we are requesting to check his vetting.”

Ms Bogopane-Zulu apologised to the deaf community but said there was no reason for the country to be embarrassed.

Mr Jantjie has been employed to sign at ANC events in the past

“There are as many as a hundred sign language dialects,” she said, explaining that Mr Jantjie speaks Xhosa and that “the English was a bit too much for him”.

She also accused Mr Jantjie’s employers of being “cheats”, and said the directors of SA Interpreters had since vanished.

Government minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said the interpreting firm had been providing sub-standard services for some time

Mr Jantjie himself has blamed his flawed interpretation on a schizophrenic episode.

He told the Associated Press he had often been violent in the past, and had been due to attend a routine mental health check-up on the day of the memorial, to determine whether he needed to be admitted to hospital.

He told the BBC that during the event he had had a breakdown, and started hallucinating that angels were coming down into the crowd.

“I started knowing that I am not real, because it’s not something possible. But believe me I saw them coming on stage.

“From that moment, it was not myself,” he said, saying he had becoming concerned for the safety of people in the stadium and was “absolutely” aware that he was not signing correctly.

The US Secret Service said “agreed upon security measures” had been in place for President Obama’s appearance at the memorial, and that US agents were “always in close proximity” to him wherever he went.

Spokesman Brian Leary said it was the responsibility of the South Africans to carry out the relevant background checks on people involved.

“Beyond that we won’t comment on deliberations that took place between the Secret Service and South African authorities,” he said.

Final journey

Long queues of mourners wait to catch a bus to view the body of ex-President Nelson Mandela, a scene reminiscent of that in 1994 when voters queued in Soweto

A long line of people wait outside the polling station in Soweto to vote in South Africa’s first all-race elections in April 1994

Mr Mandela’s body is lying in state until 13 December, when the military will fly the coffin to the Eastern Cape from Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria.

A military guard of honour will welcome the arrival, and the coffin will then be placed on a gun carriage and transported to a hearse.

Mr Mandela’s body will then be taken to his home village of Qunu, where the Thembu community will conduct a traditional ceremony.

A national day of reconciliation will take place on 16 December when a statue of Mr Mandela will be unveiled at the Union Buildings.

Big screens have been set up across South Africa to show the planned national events.