Today is a day of celebration in South Africa; celebrating the life, trials, hardships and unwavering spirit of freedom embodied in the man that was Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Nelson Mandela and Tom PJ Hennessy, PRCSI 1994-1996. in Capetown at the conferring of the RCSI Honorary Fellowship on Mandela On 27th March 1996 RCSI awarded Nelson Mandela it's highest honour, the Honorary Fellowship. There is no point in trying to paraphrase the citation given by the RCSI Vice-President, Mr. Peter McClean, as it would be an injustice to the person, achievements and spirit of Mandela. So it is reproduced in full below. Citation read by Mr Peter McLean, Vice-President RCSI on the occasion of the Conferring of the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland on President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, in Capetown, South Africa on Wednesday 27th March 1996 Mr President, It is indeed a ...