The Juma Musjid Primary School was established in 1957 as a government-aided school and Madressa (Islamic school) on private property owned by the Juma Musjid Trust. In 1997, the Trust permitted the Department of Education to enlist the school as a public school with an Islamic religious ethos on its property in terms of section 14(1) of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 (Act). This permission was subject to the conclusion of a written agreement between the Trust and the Member of the Executive Council for Education (MEC). Although the agreement was never concluded, the school continued to operate as a public school on the Trust's property. The Trust paid for certain expenses associated with running the school, expecting reimbursement from the Department. Despite numerous undertakings by the Department to pay rentals and arrears, no payments were made. On 17 July 2003, the Trust sent a notice terminating the Department's right of occupation with effect from 31 December 2004. The Department failed to vacate. The Trustees then launched an eviction application in the High Court on 28 July 2008. The MEC did not oppose the eviction but acknowledged constitutional obligations to the learners. The School Governing Body (SGB) and parents (intervening parties) opposed the application, arguing that the eviction would impair the learners' right to a basic education.
The appeal was upheld. The High Court order dated 16 September 2009 was set aside. The MEC, together with any and all persons who claim a right to occupy through the MEC, were ordered to vacate the premises known as the Juma Musjid Primary School by no later than 31 December 2010. The Sheriff was authorised to take all necessary steps to give effect to the order. The MEC was ordered to pay the costs of all proceedings in the High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal, and Constitutional Court on a party and party scale, including costs of two counsel. There was no order as to costs in respect of the urgent application lodged on 11 November 2010.
The binding legal principles established are: (1) The right to a basic education under section 29(1)(a) of the Constitution is immediately realisable and not subject to progressive realisation within available resources. It may only be limited in terms of section 36(1). (2) Section 8(2) of the Constitution binds private entities not to impair fundamental rights when they perform public functions or allow their property to be used for public purposes. The extent of this obligation depends on the nature of the right and the duty imposed by the right. In relation to the right to basic education, private property owners who allow their property to be used as public schools have a negative constitutional obligation not to impair the learners' right to basic education. (3) The primary positive obligation to provide basic education rests on the state (through the MEC), not on private property owners. The state's obligation under section 7(2) to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the right to basic education requires taking adequate steps to make alternative arrangements when circumstances threaten to disrupt learners' access to education. (4) Courts must properly consider the best interests of children (section 28(2)) and the right to basic education (section 29(1)) in all matters affecting learners. Courts cannot privilege property rights over these constitutional rights without proper consideration of the impact on learners and their best interests. (5) When balancing competing constitutional rights, courts must not establish a hierarchical arrangement privileging one right over another in an abstract and mechanical way, but must balance and reconcile the opposed claims in as just a manner as possible, taking account of all interests involved and the specific factors relevant in each particular case. (6) Where the state has failed to fulfil its constitutional and statutory obligations, and private parties are affected, the state should ordinarily bear the costs of the litigation, as the state had control over its conduct.
The Court made several non-binding observations: (1) The Court emphasized the fundamental importance of basic education for individual and societal development in South Africa's democratic dispensation, particularly given the legacy of apartheid and the lasting effects of educational segregation. The Court noted that basic education provides a foundation for lifetime learning and work opportunities and is an empowerment right. (2) The Court observed that section 3(1) of the Schools Act makes school attendance compulsory for learners from age seven to 15 or until the ninth grade, reinforcing the importance of the right. The fact that parents who fail to cause their children to attend school can be criminally prosecuted further underscores the significance of the right. (3) The Court noted that although the Trust had no obligation to make its property available for use as a public school, once it did so and allowed a public function to be conducted on its property, it assumed certain constitutional obligations. (4) The Court remarked that "our government is the potent, the omni-present teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example" (quoting S v Williams), suggesting that the MEC's conduct in this case failed to set a proper example. (5) The Court observed that the purpose of section 8(2) is not to obstruct private autonomy or impose on private parties the duties of the state, but rather to require private parties not to interfere with or diminish the enjoyment of rights. (6) The Court noted that although paragraph (b) of the provisional order (stating the Trustees acted reasonably in seeking eviction) was not as clear as it should have been, this finding did not imply the Trustees were automatically entitled to an eviction order. The Court clarified that being entitled to seek eviction based on efforts to engage the MEC did not mean the eviction would be granted without consideration of the learners' rights.
This case is significant in South African jurisprudence for several reasons: (1) It clarifies the immediate and unqualified nature of the right to a basic education under section 29(1)(a) of the Constitution, distinguishing it from other socio-economic rights that are subject to progressive realisation. (2) It establishes that private entities, when conducting public functions or allowing their property to be used for public purposes (such as education), have a negative constitutional obligation under section 8(2) not to impair fundamental rights like the right to basic education. (3) It affirms that the best interests of children under section 28(2) are of paramount importance and must be properly considered by courts in all matters affecting children. (4) It demonstrates how courts must balance competing constitutional rights (property rights versus the right to education) without mechanically privileging one over the other, but rather reconciling opposed claims in a just manner taking account of all interests involved. (5) It underscores the primary obligation of the state to provide basic education and holds organs of state accountable when they fail to discharge constitutional obligations. (6) It provides guidance on costs orders in constitutional litigation involving the state's failure to fulfil constitutional obligations, following the principles in Biowatch Trust v Registrar Genetics Resources.
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