Reggae/dancehall artistes Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy are to be sanctioned by the organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) for the scuffle that broke between them on stage at the 20th VGMA Awards on Sunday.
According to Charterhouse, the action of the two artistes who have been arch rivals for years, breached the terms and conditions governing the country’s premier music awards event.
These terms and conditions, it said in a statement Sunday, “come with punitive measures when flouted”.
The organisers explained that is designed “to protect the scheme and ensure that it is neither impugned nor dragged into any sort of disrepute”.
Shatta and Stonebwoy were embroiled in a scuffle causing the latter to pull out a gun on stage in what many have said was in self-defence.
Stonebwoy who had just been declared winner of the 2019 Reggae and Dancehall Artiste of the Year, was on stage to receive his award when Shatta Wale and his multitude of fans decided to mount the stage with him in what some perceived to be in a confrontational manner leading to the scuffle.
They were on Sunday invited by the police for questioning over the matter.
“Charterhouse and the board have taken serious exception to the incident that happened at the 20th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards and thus would ensure that the needed sanctions are applied,” it said.
The organisers they would hold news conference to address the issue at the event, including punitive measures agreed on in consultation with the Board and other affiliates of the award scheme.
Charterhouse added they have reported the incident to the police and have been cooperating with the police to investigate and to ensure that “the true facts of what happened would be known and addressed”.
Meanwhile, they have apologised to Ghanaians for the incident which they said was as a result of “security breach”
“Being a special edition of the annual ceremony, months of planning had gone into giving the world a breath-taking event. Sadly, however, we were unable to give the full experience we had hoped to give as a result of this breach,” Charterhouse noted.