Story audio is generated using AI<\/p>\n
At 69, interpreter Vusumuzi Nkabinde says he was simply caught up in the moment when he delivered an animated and theatrical interpretation of a witness\u2019s testimony at the Madlanga commission on Friday.<\/p>\n
Nkabinde was thrust into the spotlight after interpreting for W\/O Mbongeni Mpangase. His expressive and passionate delivery quickly won him praise from those present, with many people sharing videos of him on social media.<\/p>\n
His expressive, precise, and culturally nuanced delivery earned widespread public admiration and viral acclaim for his masterful ability at translating Mpangase\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not reserved,\u201d Nkabinde told Sowetan during an interview at his home in Kagiso, west of Joburg, on Sunday. \u201cI live up to the occasion; for example, even though I don\u2019t drink and smoke, when I am with them [drinkers and smokers], I can adapt in that environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that moment [at the Madlanga inquiry], I wouldn\u2019t say I was caught up in excitement. You are taken by the spirit, and while you are doing that, you must say the right things,\u201d he said, comparing his approach at the commission to that of church interpreters.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterpretation is a skill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nkabinde was enjoying family time on Thursday night when he received a call to report to the commission the following day. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had submitted my CV at the interpreters\u2019 offices next to the Johannesburg high court some time ago. I was told they might need pensioners with experience. I sent my name but never heard from them. I had given up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
You are taken by the spirit, and while you are doing that, you must say the right things. <\/p>\n
\u2014 \u00a0 Vusimusi Nkabinde<\/p>\n
\u201cThe caller from the interpreter\u2019s office told me that they still had my profile and needed a Zulu interpreter with a law diploma. I was not happy to be called at night, but in the morning I drove to Pretoria. I have been watching Madlanga on TV, and we know that it is hot there,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Nkabinde said he learnt through his children that he was trending on social media. <\/p>\n
\u201cI prefer to take the attention with humbleness. I won\u2019t say I have arrived. I am still asking myself why the spotlight is on me and not the many trained young interpreters. Even today [Sunday] people are stopping me, telling me that I\u2019m now famous because they saw me on Madlanga,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Nkabinde, the only child of his late parents, was born in Orlando East in May 1957. He attended school there up until matric.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did my matric in 1976. I was a student during [the] June 16 [uprising], and I nearly left the country. On our way from Soweto, going through Krugersdorp to Botswana, something told me that I am the only child, and if I leave, my parents would never know what happened to me, so I returned.\u201d<\/p>\n
He became a court interpreter in 1980 and worked at that job for four years before joining Anglo-American as a clerk. In 1993 he became a sales representative for an alcohol brand when he also started his BCom degree before pivoting in 1997 to sell medical aid and insurance, where he crafted his listening and negotiating skills.<\/p>\n
A year later, he returned to court interpreting and obtained his diploma in law in 2000. He joined financial services company Assupol in 2004 as a sales representative and spent 21 years there before he left in January. <\/p>\n
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