Man accused of tampering with traffic lights to help tow crews

A man accused of tampering with traffic lights in Johannesburg has led police to a "lethal racket" among tow-truck operators who deliberately cause accidents to drum up business.

Rudi Berg, 23 and unemployed, told police he was paid up to 20 ($52.80) by tow-truck drivers for sabotaging traffic lights.

"There is evidence that some of the towing companies pay people to sabotage traffic lights and sometimes spread oil over the roads in a deliberate attempt to cause accidents and increase their profits," a police spokesman said.

Private tow-truck companies are regarded by many motorists as the scourge of Johannesburg's roads. The supercharged towing vehicles wait like vultures at junctions and lay-bys, illegally tuned in to emergency services radios. They race each other to accident scenes, breaking every traffic law and often causing further accidents.

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