Joe Biden was not arrested in South Africa while trying to see Nelson Mandela, his campaign has conceded. The US presidential contender had repeatedly said he was arrested during a trip there in the 1970s, when South Africa was under apartheid. But a deputy campaign managers told reporters Mr Biden had been referring to an episode where he was “separated” from black colleagues at an airport. Mr Biden is counting on black support to win South Carolina on Saturday. Mr Biden – at the time a senator for Delaware – said he had been visiting the country with a delegation of American officials, and had planned to visit Mandela in prison. But during the trip, Mr Biden said he had “had the great honour of being arrested with our UN ambassador on the streets of Soweto” while trying to reach the civil rights leader on Robben Island. The town of Soweto is more than 760 miles (1,223km) from Robben Island.
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES