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President Jacob Zuma has signed the Maintenance Amendment Act (Act No.9 of 2015) into law.

The aim of the Act is to amend the Maintenance Act, 1998 (Act No. 99 of 1998), in order to improve the maintenance system

The Act, amongst others, seeks to:

a)     further regulate the lodging of the complaints relating to the maintenance and the jurisdiction of the maintenance courts

b)    further regulate the investigation of the maintenance complaints

c)     further regulate the securing of witnesses for purposes of maintenance enquiry

d)    further regulate maintenance enquiries in order to make a provision for the granting of the interim maintenance orders

e)    further regulate the circumstances in which the maintenance orders may be granted by default

f)      further regulate the granting of cost orders

g)    regulate the effect a maintenance order made by a maintenance court has on maintenance order made by another court

h)    further regulate the transfer of maintenance orders

i)       regulate the reporting of a maintenance defaulter to any business which has its object the granting of credit or is involved in the credit rating of persons

j)      regulate the attachments  of emoluments

k)     increase the penalties for certain offences

l)       create certain new offences

m)  further regulate the conversion of criminal proceedings into maintenance enquiries.

Issued by The Presidency