*****ulent Mtn Sim Swap

I refer to my cell number ***. Last week Thursday 03 July 2025. Around 3 in the afternoon my sim card just suddenly stopped working and was not available on the MTN network. Initially I thought maybe I had lost signal but by Friday morning my number was still not working. I tried to call 083 135 from a land line but to no avail could I speak to a "real person" all I got was automated voice prompts and no further. Eventually after nearly an hour of utter frustration I terminated the call. I work long hours weekend's included and eventually managed to go to an MTN branch in Wellington Road Durbanville Cape Town yesterday morning at 9.00 on 07.07.2025. Penny the shop assistant tried to help me. She told me that my sim card had been "*****ulently Sim Swapped" and that I had 24 hours to go into a branch. I told her that I did not know this as I was not even aware my sim card had been *****ulently sim swapped and was there now to sort it out. She assured me that I would get my number back and that it would be for MTN's account as they had done the sim swap, and as I did not request this at all and it was not my error. I was told to wait 24 hours as this is how long it will take to get my number up and running again. I then contacted Penny again at Durbanville Branch yesterday morning 08.07.2025 and was then told by her that my number is gone and I will need to purchase a new sim card at any other shop and get a new number. Her attitude at this point was to get rid of me on the phone asap. I am not at all happy about this. As I still had airtime on this number and then the inconvenience this is causing me should I have to change my number again. I purchased my sim card at Cape Gate MTN branch in December 2024. MTN had no right to allow an unauthorized sim swap to take place on my number and without proof of identification.... My question at this point is, Where does RICA come into all this?????

I am not getting anywhere with MTN assisting me up until now. I have emailed their complaints@Mtn and their *****@Mtn and apart from asking for my sim card number and a week later of going backwards and forwards with this information still my number is not available on the MTN network. I have a business that is taking a huge knock because of this and am uncontactable at this stage on all accounts. I am absolutely fuming at tbis stage and would like help on where to go from here to get my Mtn cell number up and running again. My number was in active use I had R100 airtime loaded onto my account and yet my number was *****ulently sim swapped, ****** and just disappeared.... Awaiting an urgent response to my complaint....