A life of crime lay beckoning for a young man from Tshifulanani village outside Thohoyandou, but a friendly gesture from two Limpopo-based disc jockeys have changed the life of this former prisoner forever.

A year ago, the future of the 21-year-old Khodani Mudau looked bleak. He was serving a three-year jail sentence at Matatshe prison for robbery and theft. At that stage, he was no stranger to the police and looked back on a long history of crime and violence.

Although Khodani hails from a good and relatively wealthy family, he mingled with the wrong friends in his teenage years. He thought it was cool to become a robber and soon even the people from his own area were afraid of him. His young age protected him from jail on several occasions, but after his 16th clash with the law, he realised that his luck was running out. At one stage he joined a group of gangsters who ambushed people at the dangerous hiking spot known as Zwikwengwani, near the Punda Maria road.

In 2006, Khodani was apprehended for stealing a cell phone and R1 800 in cash. He was subse-quently found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison.

At Matatshe prison, Khodani’s life changed forever when he met two Limpopo DJs, Castro Musinyali and Khorommbi Makhavhu. The two DJs realised that they could not just sit still and allow crime to spoil their beautiful country. They had to do something to fight back. Their solution was to visit prisoners and share their knowledge and love of music. They started the DJs Training Project and the young Khodani enthusiastically participated.

In August last year, Khodani was released on parole and had to face the outside world again. His parents decided to assist and spent R16 700 on DJ equipment. This proved to be an excellent investment in a young man’s life and Khodani used the equipment when performing at weddings, local parties and bashes around Thohoyandou.

According to Khodani, he charges between R500 and R2 000, depending on the type of event. The demand for his services grew quickly, to such an extent that he is now looking at buying additional equipment and employing four people to assist him. "I don´t need to go back to a life of crime anymore because there is no progress and crime does not pay. People must stop doing robberies and theft, because they will spend years in jail like me,” he warns other young people. “The Matatshe inmates training DJ project, sponsored by Vhadinda Shuttle, and my parents have changed my life,” this former robber ad-mits.

A community member, Mr Rofhiwa Mphephu, told Mirror that Mudau used to be a professional robber. “Since he was released on parole he, changed his life because of his work as a DJ,” he said. Mr Mphephu was also quite impressed with Khodani’s work and said that he had made use of his services for a family wedding and it was very professional.

Khodani’s mother, Eunice Mudau, thanked the project in partnership with Vhadinda Shuttle, who rehabilitated her son. “I sat down with my husband and we raised R16 700 to buy equipment. This project has totally changed my son’s life and he is making more money now,” the delighted mother said.

A project facilitator, Castro Musinyali, told Mirror that they are planning to sit down with the Department of Correctional Services to help needy inmates around South Africa.