Doctor Seuss once said: "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

I would like to call on all citizens to embrace the art of reading. It does not matter what you read, go ahead and do it as long as there is something to take home from that.

I am an avid reader myself, and the first thing I do every morning is to read, either a newspaper or news article on my phone. If we want to empower ourselves and know more, we must consider reading as part of our everyday routine.

The worrying statistics published last year revealed that nearly eight out of 10 grade 4 learners could not read for meaning.

This means the learners could not make straightforward inferences about events and reasons for actions.

These are flashing lights of a catastrophic event that may arise from this unfortunate situation in the near future.

I often visit Henry Mdluli Library in Hluvukani to read and research.

The library has many books and computers with internet, which community members can use for free to empower themselves with information and enrich their minds.

What is surprising though is that many people continue to overlook this development by not visiting the library, thus denying themselves the opportunity to grow their thinking.

This is very sad and I therefore urge all people in their respective communities to engage in reading activities.

Malphia Honwane, Gottenburg eManyeleti