WATCH: Malema hits back at Steenhuisen’s EFF and ANC national coalition claims (VIDEO)

Julius Malema says he is not concerned about the opinion of John Steenhuisen after the DA leader criticised the possibility of the EFF climbing into bed with the ANC after this year’s elections.

As the race for government heats up ahead of next month’s polls, with some analysts believing the ANC may get below the needed majority to rule outright, Malema told  JJ Tabane’s Frank Dialogue he would give the ANC its votes if it made Floyd Shivambu finance minister.

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His comments drew mixed reactions, including from Steenhuisen who criticised the move.

READ MORE: Malema would give ANC the EFF vote – if it meets his demand on Floyd Shivambu

“It will make Des van Rooyen look like child play,” he warned, referencing Van Rooyen’s disastrous 3-day stint as finance minister by former president Jacob Zuma in December 2015.

Malema said he was not worried by what the DA leader thought, because it made no difference in his life.

“When I speak, everyone listens. I don’t concern myself with their thoughts or opinions because there’s nothing for me to take home.”

Shivambu also threw shade at Steenhuisen, claiming: “Puppies don’t bark at motionless vehicles. So let’s allow him to bark his way out of South Africa’s political life. He’s a puppy of the establishment after all”.

Road to a failed state

In a public address in the Western Cape over the weekend, Steenhuisen said a “Doomsday Coalition” between the ANC and EFF was “now underway and taking shape before our eyes”.

Watch a clip of Steenhuisen’s comments below.

“Under the Doomsday Coalition, and with Floyd Shivambu as the finance minister, the EFF will unleash its destructive policies and take our country down the exact road to Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and every other failed country.”

READ MORE: Malema denies being a flip-flopper: ‘I didn’t change any views about John Hlophe’

He further claimed that under such a coalition the rand would “collapse” and SA would become a “wasteland”.

‘Big parties driven by egos’

Malema had earlier said he did not have to occupy the presidency to implement EFF policies.

“The problem with these big parties is that they’re driven by ego; they can’t differentiate between power and glory. The problem in this country is the department of finance which engages in anti-poor policies.”

Additional reporting by: Vhahangwele Nemakonde