Beyoncé and Jay-Z surely know how to shut down any stage. Their exclusive performance at the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg Sunday night had fans going insane for more than one reason.
The concert honored the late, great former president Nelson Mandela, the fight to end poverty and other causes affecting South Africa.
Although the concent was broadcasted live, the Carter’s performance was exclusively held for ticket holders, some of which were obtained through charity work. Some heavy hitters such as Oprah, host Trevor Noah, Naomi Campbell and more showed up to the festival at FNB Stadium.
As devoted fans were leaving the stadium to go home, however, they were assaulted and robbed of their cell phones, purses, and personal belongings. Guests were scattering, screaming, creating a mass disturbance at a nearby gas station.
Global Citizen empathized with guests and released a statement regarding the incident via Twitter. “Global Citizen and the House of Mandela are deeply distributed by the reports of criminal activities against festival guests as they exited the venue on Sunday night,” the tweet read. The festival Twitter page also expressed that “the safety of our guests is always of paramount importance to us,” however, fans disagreed.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, one suspect has already been arrested in theft of a cell phone. All victims were encouraged by South African Police to file a police report, increasing the 59% of reported crimes. Johannesburg is reportedly one of the most dangerous areas in the country, with some of the highest reported cases.
This performance marks the first time the couple performed together in Africa. The duo performed in several African-inspired outfits, including hits like “Apeshit” and “Halo,” joined by the Soweto Gospel Choir.
The concert also featured performances from South African artists Casper Nyovest and Sho Madjozi, Nigerian artists D’Banj, Tiwa Savage, WizKid and American favorites Usher, Ed Sheeran, and Pharrell Williams.