The type locality of S. vandami is Gravelotte, Limpopo, South Africa.

[1] A large lizard, S. vandami may attain a snout-vent length (SVL) of 14.5 cm (5.7 in).

The predominant colour is dark brown with fragmented yellow rings.

[5] S. vandami is largely solitary and hides in cracks in rocks.

[6] The species is named for the collector of the type specimens, Gerhardus Petrus Frederick van Dam (died 1927), who was a South African herpetologist.