ACCLAIMED filmmaker Richard Attenborough on Wednesday received an honorary doctorate of literature from the University of Cape Town. Lord Attenborough, who was an outspoken opponent of apartheid, used his acceptance speech to pay homage to former president Nelson Mandela. He said the world was in awe of Mandela’s ability to resist recrimination and bitterness in forgiving his former oppressors. “He has shown us a new way of resolving even the most bitter of feuds,” Attenborough said. “All that he has said and done since his release has, I believe, placed him in the pantheon of the very greatest men we have known in this or any other country. The world will not lack for heroes while we remember him.” Attenborough is known for his epic film biographies, including those of Mahatma Gandhi and South African Black Consciousness icon Steve Biko.