JOHANNESBURG — The South African government said today it is aware of reports that the bogus sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial once faced a murder charge, and said he is being investigated.

Phumla Williams of the government communications office said the government is investigating Thamsanqa Jantjie and how he was selected to interpret at a memorial Tuesday at which he stood close to U.S. President Barack Obama and other leaders.

“We will come back and give a full report,” Williams said of questions surrounding Jantjie.

Jantjie outraged deaf people by making signs they said amounted to gibberish. A South African TV news outlet, eNCA, reported that Jantjie faced a murder charge a decade ago, but it is unclear if the case was concluded. He also reportedly faced other criminal charges.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “we’re all very upset” about the bogus interpreter, who appeared just three feet from Obama at the memorial ceremony for Mandela, who died in his Johannesburg home on Dec. 5.

South Africa’s arts and culture minister, Paul Mashatile, apologized for the use of Jantjie and said reforms must be implemented to ensure such an incident won’t happen again.