South Africa Looks Into Claims Of Interpreter's Criminal Past A 'Fake' Sign Language Interpreter: The interpreter used at the memorial for Nelson Mandela was said to be an impostor. QUNU, South Africa - The South African government said on Friday that it was looking into news media reports that the man hired to provide deaf interpretation at Nelson Mandela's memorial service had once been accused of murder and other serious crimes. The reports added intrigue to the scandal surrounding the supposed interpreter, who used incomprehensible sign language and later said he was a violence-prone schizophrenic who hallucinated. A South African TV station, eNCA, reported on Friday that the man, Thamsanqa Jantjie, 34, who has been accused of providing bogus interpretation as he stood beside speakers who eulogized Mr. Mandela during the memorial service on Tuesday, had been charged with murder in 2003. He also faced charges of rape, theft, housebreaking, malicious damage to property, attempted murder and kidnapping, dating to 1994, according to the news station. A spokesman for the country's National Prosecuting Authority, Nathi Mncube, said the agency could not confirm or deny the report because it was still searching for criminal records on Mr. Jantjie. The news station said it had taken less than 48 hours to uncover Mr. Jantjie's record. The murder charge was resolved in 2006, the news station said, but the nature of the disposition was unclear. Multiple attempts to reach Mr. Jantjie by hone on Friday for comment on the report were unsuccessful. Deeply embarrassed by the scandal, the government has promised a full investigation into how Mr. Jantjie got the job, which had placed him inches from world leaders, including President Obama. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, who was visiting Kenya on Friday, was quoted by The Associated Press as saying at a news conference that "we're all very upset" about Mr. Jantjie. In Washington, Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, referred questions about the interpreter to the Secret Service, but added the agency "takes an extraordinary amount of precautions to ensure the president's safety." Sign language experts worldwide have expressed outrage by Mr. Jantjie's performance, saying he had made a mockery of sign language interpretation during the memorial service. His story became more bizarre on Thursday when Mr. Jantjie was quoted in multiple interviews as saying he had schizophrenia, sometimes reacted violently, and had seen angels descending into the Soweto sports stadium where the Mandela memorial was held. Paul Mashatile, South Africa's arts and culture minister, apologized on Friday, becoming the second prominent government official to express remorse over the episode. "Without passing judgment, nobody should be allowed to undermine our languages," Mr. Mashatile said in a statement reported by the South Africa Press Association. Peter Baker contributed reporting from Washington, and Rick Gladstone from New York.