Still waiting for deposit to be paid back.

We moved into a property on the 5 October 2019. The property have a house and 2 flats on it. We paid the agents the month's rent plus the deposit off, R6500 plus the R900 agent fee. In December 2021 we were given notice that the current owner is selling the property as he is from n neighbouring country as he wants so go back to his home. The property was soled to Precious Rose Properties. The current owner told us that the new owners will keep renting out the properties. I asked the current owner bout the deposit, and he assured me he will pay it over to the new owners as soon as the property is transferred. The day after the property was transferred, the new owner Valentine and the manger David came to the property to meet all the renters. I asked the old owner if he transferred the deposit to the new owners. He confirmed that he did, and they also send a What's Up to confirm. One renter moved out before the property was sold. The new owners complained that the other renter did not pay deposit. They at that stage stayed there for a few years. The new owners told them that they will have to pay a deposit and that the rent will be going up. They renters in the one flat said that they don't want to pay the deposit and the higher rent, so they will move. We received a new contract where it stated the rent will be, R7000. The deposit was still the R6500 that we paid when we moved in under the old owner. We moved out on the end of December 2023. After we moved, we asked the manager David when we will receive our deposit back. He said we did not pay a deposit, and they did not receive the deposit from the previous owners. I phoned the previous owner, and he confirmed again that he paid the deposit over to the new owners. If the deposit was not paid over by the old owner, the new owner would have insisted that we must pay a deposit, as this was part of the contract we signed. I have our bank statements from before we moved in and the three month during the transfer of the properties. If we do not get our deposit back, the next step will be the renting tribunal.