No co-operation with regards to R30 000 refund - buyer beware

This is the second review that I am writing, and if there is anybody, anyone at all, that can give me some advice, please get in touch. We booked 2 airline tickets with Booking.com in November of last year, but then had to cancel one of them due to Visa restrictions. We followed all the prompts and regulations, and was told that we would receive our refund in 2 months. This was in December 2024, it is now July 2025. I have been in touch with Bookings.com on 18 different occasions via their online chat. They keep saying the same thing over and over and over. As far as they are concerned, Emirates is not giving them the go ahead to proceed with the refund. However, I have contacted Emirates on numerous dates, who says that they have done everything they were supposed to on their side. I can also add that the staff at Emirates have been very professional, very kind, and very helpful. In my last contact with the chatline agent at Booking.com this morning, I begged for any contact information to escalate the matter legally, as we really, really need the money. I was told that they do not give out any information at all with regards to supervisors, senior management, etc. It seems they are untouchable, and truly don't care about throwing Emirates under the bus. I am at a loss of what to do next. The passenger who paid for the cancelled ticket is a senior citizen who genuinely lives from month to month on an old aged pension and the money owed is something she needs to make ends meet. Can anyone help? More importantly, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT make use of Booking.com. We have been kind and patient, but nothing seems to move these people.