Maintenance Act, 1998 (Act No. 99 of 1998)Chapter 7 : Orders Relating to Prosecutions41. Conversion of criminal proceedings into maintenance enquiry |
If during the course of any proceedings in a magistrate's court in respect of—
| (a) | an offence referred to in section 31(1); or |
| (b) | the enforcement of any sentence suspended on condition that the convicted person make periodical payments of sums of money towards the maintenance of any other person, |
it appears on good cause shown that it is desirable that a maintenance enquiry be held, the court may, of its own accord or at the request of the public prosecutor, convert the proceedings into such enquiry.
[Section 41 substituted by section 18 of Act No. 9 of 2015]