Unsatisfied customer and incorrect information

I bookt a flight to cape town. And got there an hour early. The ticket assistant at the mango counter at check in told me that i needed to be there an 2 hours early and that the flight is closed which didnt make sense when the flight details i received via email suggested that check in closes 40 minutes prior. I had to pay an extra R287 to rebook my flight for the following day which is totally unacceptable.