A startling revelation at the Madlanga Commission has added a new layer to the growing web of suspicion surrounding South Africa’s top law enforcement officials. Crime Intelligence Head, Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, told the commission that Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya was repeatedly seen driving a vehicle registered to a man with 34 criminal cases — including multiple convictions for carjacking.
The man, identified as Stuart James Scharnick, is a Durban resident with a criminal record stretching back years. Khumalo testified that the Toyota bakkie linked to Sibiya during a police raid on 9 October was registered under Scharnick’s name — a fact verified by official records.
“Our records confirm both the registration details and the driver associated with that period,” Khumalo told the commission. “The vehicle in question is linked to Lieutenant-General Sibiya’s movements on 9 October.”
According to Khumalo, Scharnick’s record shows 34 charges — 18 convictions, 11 withdrawals, and five acquittals. What remains unclear, however, is whether Scharnick ever served a single day in prison.
The situation grew even murkier when Khumalo revealed that Scharnick had been spotted inside Parliament during last month’s ad hoc committee inquiry, where Sibiya himself had testified. Sources close to the commission claim Scharnick was acting as one of Sibiya’s close protection officers, raising questions about how a man with such a history found himself so close to the police’s upper ranks.
“Most of the cases relate to vehicle hijackings,” Khumalo said, adding that investigators have “verified information on the daily movements of the vehicle” to confirm both driver and owner.
The testimony forms part of a broader probe by the Madlanga Commission — tasked with exposing potential misconduct, corruption, and conflicts of interest among senior police officials. “The purpose of this evidence,” Khumalo explained, “is to confirm the link between the car, the driver, and the owner.”
As these revelations surface, the questions grow louder within the security establishment. Why was a high-ranking police official using a vehicle tied to a convicted criminal? And how deep does the connection go?
