Government should privatise and not pump money into state-owned companies such as South African Airways (SAA) and Eskom, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi told MPs on Tuesday.

"We are pouring good money after bad," he said, speaking during a joint sitting debate on President Jacob Zuma's State-of-the-nation address.

Buthelezi suggested to Zuma that he follow former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's example, when she privatised parastatals.

"And the UK economy turned around."

In his address last week, Zuma announced an amount of R23-billion would be given to Eskom.

Referring to the chaos that erupted last Thursday, Buthelezi said MPs should be deeply ashamed.

"What happened... was an embarrassment to our country that should make us deeply ashamed. The integrity of this House was torn to shreds," he said.