Rudi Berg, a 23-year-old homeless man, was charged over the weekend with disconnecting the electricity to traffic lights in South Africa. The man told police that he was paid to drum up business for tow truck drivers by causing accidents. At least one fatal accident has been linked to disabled traffic lights in the country. Additional reports charge that other individuals are involved in creating oil spills on sections of road with tow truck drivers parked close-by.

Politicians are calling for the death penalty in the Berg case. "Those involved with this abhorrent scheme should be charged with murder and attempted murder," said a spokesman for the Christian Democratic Party.

South African Towing and Recovery Association chairperson Andre van der Merwe said it was unclear at this stage whether the suspect had been acting on his own accord to boost his "spotter" fees or if he had been paid to tamper with the lights by tow-truckers. He confirmed that the suspect formed part of the information network.