Migration Jurisprudence from the South › South Africa

Larbi-Odam and Others v. MEC for Education (North-West Province)

Constitutional Court of South Africa · South Africa · 1997-11-26 · National court

Citation: CCT 2/97; 1998 (1) SA 745 (CC)
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side

Question

May the State bar non-citizens from permanent teaching posts?

What the court decided

No. Excluding permanent residents from permanent posts was unfair discrimination on the ground of citizenship; the Court read in “or permanent resident”.

In plain language

Teachers from other African countries were told they could not hold permanent jobs because they were not South African citizens. The Constitutional Court said this was unfair discrimination and opened the posts to permanent residents.

Dalam bahasa sederhana

Guru-guru dari negara Afrika lain diberi tahu bahwa mereka tidak boleh menjadi guru tetap karena bukan warga Afrika Selatan. Mahkamah Konstitusi menyatakan ini diskriminasi yang tidak adil dan membuka jabatan itu bagi penduduk tetap.

Pertanyaan: Bolehkah negara melarang bukan warga negara memegang jabatan guru tetap?

What happened afterwards

• 1997-11-26: Regulation changed by the Court’s own order (reading-in).

Sources

• lawlibrary.org.za - confirmed via official search listing (judgment)
• Judgment (SAFLII)

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Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/za-larbi-odam-1997/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.