Hey, you, Schalk van der Merwe, Knysna candidate for the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and owner of Circle Property Developers. Yes, YOU.

I could never have started with “Dear Schalk” because you horrify me. I couldn’t use “To Whom It May Concern” because I’ve begun to know what you are. You’re arrogant and hollow, seemingly serving a hidden agenda.

How the hell do you read “Christian” in your version of the ACDP?

You spit the same nonsense repeatedly on Facebook. You repeatedly refuse to answer questions and substantiate your hateful statements. Your response is to ask what right I have to ask questions?

As a member of the public, I have every right! I am the public you are supposed to want to serve. I expect you to choose honesty and transparency, things a good man expects of himself.

Our town is at war. There are good and bad people in the trenches but it’s so politically muddy that there are bad people on either side, using serious issues for selfish agendas. You jumped in: shouting, lying, biased.

You subscribed to the pro-Administration bunch of malcontents who don’t want alleged maladministration and corruption exposed in Knysna Municipality. In this battle, you chose the side of Stephen de Vries’ ANC and disgruntled DA members who seek revenge as they’re being kicked out of office.

You chose the side of property developers and the shady version of the ISDF which is supposed to be the long-term plan for our future. You published an email from an unknown source that clearly had an agenda too. You never tried to verify its contents. You made an effort to contact people and draw attention to it. You never cared that it would damage Knysna further. You never cared that it might damage a possible whistleblower and another who fought very hard for a better Knysna. You cared about Schalk!

It’s no surprise that that email full of nastiness from an “anonymous sender” recommended people vote for the ACDP, not the DA.

You may have gotten scared and taken down that email but the damage has been done.

I may despise those in the DA whose corruption I’ve exposed but the enemy of my enemy is not my friend. As an anti-theist, it’s ironic that I’m more Christian than you.

I’ve long heard that you don’t like me but I wouldn’t have cared if you were good for Knysna because there has to be a bigger picture. But, today, I’m glad to accept that you don’t like me because it clearly means that we’re different people… and I don’t want to be anything like you.

The ACDP’s background check on its Knysna candidates failed. However, in no way is this against the party as a whole – the ACDP has done excellent work in Cape Town.