Letter from the Minister of Social Development dated 18 February 2005 to the Speaker of the National Assembly, in terms of section 65(2)(a) of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No 1 of 1999), explaining the delay in the tabling of the Annual Report of the Central Drug Authority for 2004:

EXPLANATION ON THE LATE SUBMISSION AND TABLING OF THE CENTRAL DRUG AUTHORITY (CDA) ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2004, BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, FOR THE YEAR WHICH ENDED ON 31 MARCH 2004

In terms of section 2(11)(a)(b) of the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Amendment Act (Act, 14 of 1999) and Section 65(1)(a) of the PFMA, I am required to table the CDA Annual Report in the National Assembly. Subsection (2)(a) further requires me to table a written explanation to Parliament on the circumstances that prevented me from tabling such a report within six months from the end of the financial year.

In this regard I would like to report that I was unable to table the said report, in June 2004, due to the following reasons:

1. Firstly, the CDA Chairperson was appointed in January 2004 and had to work on the outstanding 2003 and 2004 reports. The major cause for the delay is the fact that the Chairperson is employed elsewhere and is holding a full time position.

2. Secondly, the chairperson was unable to finalize and table the outstanding reports due to a busy work schedule at his permanent place of employment.

Kind regards,

signed

Dr Z S T Skweyiya, MP
MINISTER