Mandela100: Beyonce, Jay-Z dazzle at #GlobalCitizenFestivalSA

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 .

– ‘ Take action ’ –

South African stars Trevor Noah and Bonang Matheba also made appearances , as the largely local crowd braved heavy downpours to attend .

Ahead of the concert co -host Oprah Winfrey hailed Mandela ’ s “goodness and integrity” , describing him as her “favourite mentor ” .

Mandela was jailed under South Africa ’ s apartheid regime . After being released in 1990, he led the country ’ s transformation into a multi -racial democracy . He died on December 5 , 2013 aged 95 .

Earlier on Sunday , Mandela ’ s widow Graca Machel , draped in a bright yellow and blue dress , took to the stage to honour her late husband in front of the near -capacity crowd.

And Mandela ’ s grandson Ndaba Mandela told festival -goers : “Today it is a privilege and choice for us to take action on behalf of the hundreds of millions of people trapped in the cycle of poverty .

“So I plead with you, don ’ t think of this as just a music festival , this is a call to the hearts and minds of humanity all across the world . ”

The Global Citizen initiative aims to help eradicate extreme poverty by 2030 and has staged events in other global cities including London , Brussels, and New York .

Event organisers earlier paid tribute to a rigger who died following a fall while helping to prepare the stage on Saturday .

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated , ” Global Citizen said in a statement .

( AFP )

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