MTN Rica barred/ new contract customer

I have had a terrible experience this far with MTN, I received my device end of May 2023. DSV driver said sim is rica’d. I have been unable to use my contract sim. I went to a store at Maponya Mall and was told to get a sim swap, I refused because I was told to pay R150; two days later I went to MTN store in Ghundi square and they didn’t know why my number was not working, I ended up giving into getting a sim swap but it didn’t work. It’s difficult to get through to an agent and they pass you from pillar to post until your airtime runs out and nobody bothers to call you back. They just want to charge me for airtime I’ve never used. And my issue is still not resolved.