For every mistake in life there is an opportunity for redemption.

For every mistake in life there is an opportunity for redemption.

This is the moral lesson for kwaito star Mandoza, who escaped serving time in jail this week after receiving a suspended sentence for the death of two men, whose car he crashed into.

For celebrities such as Mandoza, jet-set life tends to be a potpourri of fame and notoriety interspersed with intermittent brushes with the law.

One minute they're basking in the glory of fame and the next they're in trouble with the law because of their excesses.

Mandoza's talent is undeniable, as is his propensity for trouble, which is sometimes fuelled by booze and his gangster image.

It might all be innocently contrived to create a hell-raising persona to boost sales. But the folly of the master mimicking the art cannot be over-stated.

The tragic reality is that his life in the fast lane has left two families without breadwinners.

Not even his professed remorse will change that.

Problem is Mandoza has been on his self-destructive behaviour before, battling drugs and other vices that come with high life.

To his credit, he apologised.

Only he can muster the will to turn the corner this time. And he can.