CRIMINAL PROCEDURE AND EVIDENCE ACT
(4) In any case where the prescribed officer of the court is not so satisfied, he shall, upon the
request of the accused, refer the application to the judge or magistrate who may grant or refuse
such application or may defer giving his decision until he has heard the other evidence in the
case or any part thereof.
230 Service of subpoenas
Service of subpoenas in criminal cases shall be effected in the manner provided by rules of
court.
231 Duty of witness to remain in attendance
Every witness duly subpoenaed to attend and give evidence at any criminal trial shall be
bound to attend and to remain in attendance throughout the trial, unless excused by the court.
232 Subpoenaing of witnesses or examination of persons in attendance by
court
The court—
(a) may at any stage subpoena any person as a witness or examine any person in attendance though not subpoenaed as a witness, or may recall and re-examine any person already examined;
(b) shall subpoena and examine or recall and re-examine any person if his evidence appears to it essential to the just decision of the case.
233 Powers of court in case of default of witness in attending or giving
evidence
(1) When any person appearing either in obedience to the subpoena or by virtue of a warrant, or being present and being verbally required by the court to give evidence, refuses to be
sworn or, having been sworn, refuses to answer such questions as are put to him or refuses or
fails to produce any document or thing which he is required to produce, without in any such
case offering any just excuse for such refusal or failure, the court may adjourn the proceedings
for any period not exceeding eight days, and may in the meantime, by warrant, commit the
person so refusing or failing to a prison, unless he sooner consents to do what is required of
him.
(2) If a person who has been committed in terms of subsection (1) upon being brought up at
the adjourned hearing again refuses or fails to do what is so required of him, the court, if it sees
fit, may again adjourn the proceedings and commit him for a like period, and so again from
time to time until such person consents to do what is required of him.
(3) Nothing in this section shall prevent the court from giving judgment in any case or otherwise disposing of the same in the meantime according to any other sufficient evidence taken.
(4) No person shall be bound to produce any document or thing not specified or otherwise
sufficiently described in the subpoena unless he actually has it in court.
234 Requiring witness to enter into recognizance
(1) Any court before which a trial is pending or proceeding may lawfully require any witness, either alone or together with one or more sufficient sureties to the satisfaction of the
court, to enter into recognizance under condition that the witness shall at any time within twelve
months from the date thereof appear and give evidence at the trial upon being served with a
subpoena at some certain place to be selected by the witness.
(2) If any witness being required in terms of subsection (1) to enter into any such recognizance, refuses or fails so to do the court may commit to and detain in a prison the witness so
refusing or failing until such recognizance has been entered into in terms of that subsection.
(3) The court may, in exercising its powers in terms of subsection (1), add to the recognizance conditions relating to one or more of the following matters which it thinks necessary or
desirable in the interests of justice—
(a) the surrender by the witness of his passport;
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