Watch: SAPS employee accused of altering criminal record of Durban businessman James Scharnick
These revelations came after controversial businessman, James Stuart Scharnick filed criminal charges against Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, accusing him of misleading the Madlanga Commission.
KWAZULU-NATAL police have revealed that an employee of the SAPS allegedly accessed and altered the national criminal record system to remove information linked to controversial businessman James Stuart Scharnick.
This was revealed during a media briefing at the provincial police headquarters in Durban on Thursday (November 13), where Acting Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection, Major General Anthony Gopal, provided updates on investigations tied to matters raised before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The Madlanga Commission, established in July 2025 by President Cyril Ramaphosa and chaired by retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, is probing allegations of criminality, political interference, and corruption within South Africa’s criminal justice system.
Also read: eThekwini reprioritises R581m for critical infrastructure upgrades
The inquiry was initiated following claims by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi of collusion between politicians, senior police officials, prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and members of the judiciary.
Gopal told reporters that system logs revealed the SAPS employee made unauthorised changes to Scharnick’s criminal record on January 16, 2025, effectively deleting several entries.
“The deleted records were traced through the system’s audit trail, and a forensic investigation is currently underway,” he said.
This comes after Scharnick accused Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo of lying under oath at the Madlanga Commission and opened cases against him.
During his testimony before the Commission, Khumalo described Scharnick as a ‘serial hijacker’, alleging he had been linked to 34 criminal cases, including 18 convictions, five acquittals, and 11 withdrawals.
SAPS confirmed that disciplinary and criminal processes are being pursued against the implicated employee.
@caxtonlocalmedia An employee of the SAPS is under investigation for allegedly accessing and altering the national criminal record database to clear the lengthy criminal record of controversial businessmen Stuart James Scharnick. Scharnick had threatened to sue the SAPS for defamation after his name was brought up at the Madlanga Commission. #caxtondurban #durbannews #madlangacommission ♬ original sound – caxtonlocalmedia
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here
