Baggage disaster

Booked a flight for 15h30 29 September 2019. Checked in on time and arrived 2 hours early at the airport. Upon boarding, we were told that the flight was cancelled. I can't explain how annoying that is 1. We told them we don't want to be transferred because we need to be on an earlier flight. The flight was at 19h45. We also told them we want our bags back. 2. We had to make our own plans to book a new flight booking through a different airline 3. Had to go all the way back and restamp our passports 4. We come to the SAA baggage services and they tell us that they've checked us into the 19h45 flight and that our bags are on that flight. Both instructions that they blatantly ignored. We were very clear at the boarding gates and at transit that we do not want to take the 19h45 flight 5. Also at the baggage services, they tell us we need to go quickly catch our 17h30 or else we miss our flight. And on top of that, when we land we'd have to wait 2 hours on the other side just to get our luggage 6. To say I am annoyed is an understatement. Ultimate inconvenience. I've been at the airport for 4 hours and still no movement 7. As I'm typing this, I still don't have my bags and I've been at baggage service for an hours