Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa accompanied by the Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, will on Wednesday, 11 February 2015, visit the community of Khayelitsha in Western Cape, to promote the culture of reading.

As chair of the Human Resource Development Council, Deputy President Ramaphosa champions the national effort to advance education and skills development and to position South Africa as a knowledge economy.

As part of a build-up programme to the State of the Nation Address, the Deputy President will engage with a group of young people on the importance of reading. 

The Deputy President will also share his vision of establishing a national reading club. The club will be launched on the World Book Day celebrations on 23 April 2015.

In 2007, the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) commissioned the South African Book Development Council (SABDC) to conduct a study on the reading habits of adult South Africans from age sixteen.

The findings of the study confirmed the grim reality that there is a very low reading culture in South Africa and only 5% of our population read to their children.

Furthermore the study reveals that more than half of our households have no leisure books and that only one in seven South Africans regularly read in their spare time.

During his visit to Cape Town last month, the Deputy President addressed young people at a youth dialogue hosted by the South African Youth Council. In his address, the Deputy President called on young people to be educated and innovative in order to achieve economic freedom in their lifetime. The drive of a national reading club follows the call made by Deputy President Ramaphosa for young people to embrace a culture of reading.

Media is invited as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Time: 14h00
Venue: Harare Library in Khayelitsha, Cape Town

For accreditation please contact, Sam Bopape 082 318 5251 Madimetja Moleba on 060 971 7482

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria