Lumka Yengeni, the wife of disgraced ANC MP Tony Yengeni, has made her plucky, spirited maiden speech in parliament.

While voting in favour of the Public Enterprises Budget Speech tabled by Minister Alec Erwin on Monday, Yengeni seemed a bit jittery at the beginning and raised some eye-brows.

Interestingly, her chosen topic was on the defence industry that also saw the political demise of her erstwhile popular husband. Tony Yengeni, known as the "Gucci socialist" for his expensive taste in clothes, would have looked on with envy as his wife turned a new page in her life story as a politician proper.

Lumka Yengeni was put on the ANC list for the national assembly after the public humiliation of her husband, considered the first casualty of the country's controversial arms deal.

The arms deal saga has since sucked in Deputy President Jacob Zuma, National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka, and Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana.

On Tuesday, Yengeni questioned the wisdom of being a "(military attack) helicopter-producing country" when no other nations wanted to buy the country's helicopters. She was referring to the Rooivalk, considered an excellent example of the "ingenuity and creativity" of South African military technology.

"The major question I would want to pose at this juncture is why the country should be burdened by spending so much money on a continuous basis on a project that loses money rather than gains money for the country?" she said.

Yengeni suggested that Denel, a government-owned arms manufacturing company, diversify its portfolio and also embrace transformation.

With acknowledgements to Makhudu Sefara and the Daily News.