Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla: The DA has just given more votes to the EFF with Malema comments

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has weighed in on DA leader John Steenhuisen declaring Julius Malema's EFF the DA's number one political enemy.

Speaking after his re-election as DA leader at the party's electoral congress at the weekend, Steenhuisen warned a coalition between the ANC and EFF would be a disaster for South Africa. “Today, I publicly declare Julius Malema’s EFF to be political enemy number one of the DA.

“And I commit the DA to fight back against the EFF at every turn, with the ultimate aim of defeating the doomsday coalition that could seal South Africa’s fate next year,” he said.

Zuma-Sambudla joined the chorus of reaction to Steenhuisen's comments, predicting it would come back to bite him.

“The DA, through that John, has just given more numbers/voters to the EFF by declaring Julius as enemy number 1,” she said.

Steenhuisen also told delegates at the congress the DA “is the only party that is big enough, and strong enough, to stop Julius Malema”.

Malema has yet to respond to Steenhuisen's comments but retweeted posts claiming the EFF was “the biggest winner from the DA conference” and “is giving many sleepless nights”.

Steenhuisen said the DA would work to unite opposition parties under a formal pact, to avoid an ANC-EFF coalition next year.

“In my capacity as leader, not only of the DA but of the opposition alternative in this country, our party will immediately initiate a process to form a pre-election 'moonshot pact' with like-minded political parties, civil society organisations and civic movements to defeat the ANC, to keep the EFF out and to inaugurate a new national opposition coalition government.

“This invitation is broad and generously open to the leaders of all civil society bodies and opposition parties that are, as a matter of principle, opposed to the ANC and the EFF. But it excludes all parties and organisations who’ve tethered themselves to the ANC.”

He said parties would agree on rules of engagement that will allow them to keep their own identities while putting an end to the petty squabbles and divisions.

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