Do people still read and buy books?
Despite South Africa ranking high for literacy on the continent, reading habits tell a different story – with only a quarter of citizens reading regularly and many children struggling to read for meaning. Yet, in Pretoria, libraries and local authors are keeping the love of books alive.
Reading and literacy statistics paint a bleak picture in South Africa. According to Africa Facts Zone, South Africa had the third-highest literacy rate on the African continent in 2023.
And, according to the National Reading Barometer Survey conducted in 2022/23, only 26% of South Africans read regularly.
In 2021, studies revealed that almost 81% of Grade 4 learners couldn’t read for comprehension.
According to the survey, only 52% of parents read to their children.
But do South Africans still read and buy books? Rekord investigated. This is what we found:
When it comes to encouraging reading among children, many schools and libraries are doing a lot in terms of reading programmes.
Many organisations and experts believe that reading and learning in your mother tongue has its advantages.
A breakdown of reading in languages popular in Pretoria is as follows: English speakers are at the top of the list, with 97%. The Afrikaans community follows with 78%. When it comes to African languages, 68% of Xhosa and Zulu-speaking people, and 64% of Sepedi residents, read in their native tongues.
Libraries remain important resources, but according to the survey, only 58% of South Africans have access to a library, and only 28% have visited a library over the span of a year.
How busy are libraries over the festive season?
According to Alkantrant Library, it is very busy year-round, especially on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Charmaine Maritz of Glenstantia Library says they have 500 members a week and 2 000 people coming through each month, especially pensioners and parents with young children.
They even have a Press Reader poster, which readers can scan a QR code that will enable them to read 7 000 global magazines and newspapers for free for seven days straight. Join Friends of Glenstantia Community Library on Facebook to be informed about upcoming events.
Speaking to local writer, Elize Parker, she says there is still a great number of people buying books, even though the economy is weak and books are expensive. People still flock to local libraries and second-hand bookshops.
According to her, Afrikaans books are currently experiencing a boom in the market, and many are found on the top-20 selling lists.
“We will, however, start losing adult readers in Afrikaans in the next eight or 10 years, because the reading market is getting older and Afrikaans books are not as popular among the younger generation,” Parker says.
She believes reading is essential, as it broadens your horizons and vocabulary and helps in developing your brain.
“Making reading a part of your lifestyle makes you a well-developed person full of self-confidence.”
She says she keeps writing to encourage and comfort readers, and to highlight the injustices toward humans and animals.
“Also because I love word art, and because Afrikaans is the breath in my lungs.”
Do you have more information about the story?
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