Charged Double for Renewal of Passport. *****? Absolutely!!!

On the 09th December I went to renew my passport. International travel law states that a passport must be valid for 6 months after the return date to South Africa. For these reasons, I was compelled to renew my passport before the 6 month period. This resulted in me being charged R800 for the renewal. How is this possible? Is this not conflicting laws? Passport expires August 5, 2020. Travel is from 3-7 Feb 2020. Department of Horror Affairs does it once again.