Beyonce was leading an all-star line-up including Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.
The concert was the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela’s birth in 1918, and part of a campaign to tackle poverty, child malnutrition and boost gender equality.
This year’s Global Citizen Festival is being held at Johannesburg’s 94,736-capacity FNB stadium and began at 1200 GMT.
Thousands of music fans, many of whom had received free tickets to reward their activism and campaigning work, flocked to the stadium hours before the gig began.
It’s really important to be here because we all support what Global Citizen is doing, it’s helping out a lot of people,” said Lesedi Mosita, a banker.
“I do follow the cause, I have done my share, I have tried to support as much as I can — but I am mostly excited to see Beyonce.”
As well as a constellation of global stars that also included Pharrell Williams and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted fellow heads of state from Ghana, Rwanda and Sierra Leone.
Williams received a rapturous reception for his rendition of “Get Lucky”, with many cheering fans holding phones aloft and dancing exuberantly.
