Encourage anyone. Communist or not.
As I said, it doesn't look like it's aimed at the average N&CA poster.
The book selection is compiled to further the ANC's agenda, and definitely not to promote reading of books in general. If the audience can read the first 4, they doing good, the rest are likely to fly somewhere way over their heads.
Besides, those that it is purported to target, are mostly going to be unaware of or esteemed president's generous "gift", and those that are would rather use their precious data, to whatsapp their mates, rather than download books the have little interest in reading.
So the effort is just window dressing - and nothing more nor less.