Top news items in major S. African news outlets

CAPE TOWN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The following are news items in South Africa's major news outlets on Friday:

-- The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape province on Thursday said it would request President Jacob Zuma to institute a Commission of Inquiry to establish whether the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town "deliberately ignored the warnings of the diminishing water resources."

"The DA must accept the blame for dumping the city in this crisis that will impact all its residents and especially the poor, who will find it difficult to get to the collection points when Day Zero arrives," said ANC Western Cape Secretary Faiez Jacobs. (News24)

-- Day Zero will more than likely become a reality as 60 percent of Cape Town's consumers are wasting water, the city said on Thursday.

Day Zero is when most of the city's taps will be shut off and residents will have to queue for their daily ration of 25 liters of water per day. (Independent Online).

-- Capetonians have poured cold water on a proposed drought levy. In a public participation process, the City of Cape Town received more than 60,000 comments on the drought tax.

And most have given the thumbs down to the plan, calling it unfair. (Eyewitness News) Enditem