Bottoms up: An extra 1% tax on alcohol sales could fund a preventive health foundation.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has told Parliament that it took the state's forensics services on average 26 weeks last year to supply the result of an alcohol blood level test,
In a written reply to a parliamentary question on Monday, Motsoaledi said that in 2012 the Forensic Chemistry Laboratory in Pretoria received more than 23 800 blood samples to test for alcohol levels.
It took an average 26 weeks to analyse the results from the time they were dispatched by a police station.
"Two weeks were added to allow for the printing, signing, and collecting of reports," he said.
Motsoaledi was responding to a written question from the Democratic Alliance.
In 2011, the laboratory received some 17 000 samples, but the turnaround time was a month longer.
The minister said in 2010 it took an average 24 weeks and in 2005 – when 7 800 samples were received – 14 weeks. – Sapa