MTN de*****ing customer

I took a contract with MTN December 2022 , thereafter receiving the phone 2 days later it was heating up , freezing , wrote a mail to customer care and no response. I eventually took the phone in for repairs via their branch and called repairs after 4 days and was advised it was an out of box faulty , they gave me an IRS number to call and cancel my contract, of which I did and was told the contract will be cancelled after 21 working days. I did a follow up only to be told the same old story and this is now into January 2023 , I have never received feedback and I’ve been calling to find out what’s happening but they were taking me to pillar and post , now I’m getting emails that my contract was handed over because of no payment , but how am I liable to pay for a phone that was at their repairs and confirmed that it was dead on delivery , I’ve taken them to the ombudsman and the consumer goods and services , now I’m seeking legal counsel to get this matter sorted.