The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) says it is shocked at the "aggressive" action taken by the QuadPara Association of SA (QASA) this week.
This follows Tuesday's protest action that saw about 20 disabled citizens paying a visit to Sanral's Rivonia Road customer care centre, where the group picketed and set a wheelchair alight outside the centre's entrance, after being told they could not register for e-toll exemption.
Led by QASA CEO Ari Seirlis, the group approached Sanral officials to obtain exempted e-tags - a move Seirlis said came on the back of numerous statements by authorities that the group would be immune to the new highway tax - and were told they should register as regular road users and seek exemption later.
Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona says, however, no such agreement had been reached. "Sanral and QASA were on the verge of signing an agreement when the latter chose to join the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) court case. Sanral had to wait for the court issues to reach their conclusion."
Mona says the state-owned roads agency will not take responsibility for the disabled group having "chosen the legal route and [losing] in court".
He says now that the court case - which Outa lost in October - is over, Sanral is open to resuming its earlier talks with QASA.
Seirlis said on Tuesday that the country's disabled had been disenfranchised by the powers that be and by Sanral, which introduced exemptions for taxis on the basis that these public transport vehicles transport the poor.
"People with disabilities cannot afford to be mobile if they are not exempt. Sanral has burnt us today and this burning wheelchair is a symbol of this. They need to see our disappointment."
The group, which gathered outside the e-toll centre doors at 2pm, dispersed after dousing the burning wheelchair about an hour later.
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