Vodacom blacklisted my 'phone without checking whether I had requested it

Appalled by Vodacom blacklisting my own iPhone 13 - either an error or a malicious mistake!! Which means that since Friday night (4 days ago) I have been unable to make or receive calls. This has had a severely negative impact on me and my business, as I rely on this 'phone day in, day out.

A call to Vodacom as soon as I realised I couldn't get onto the network was a waste of time, they were unable to suggest the reason why it had happened. I then visited a Vodacom store, they did all sorts of tests etc and then said "The problem is with your 'phone". Thinking that my less than 1 year old 'phone might have to be repaired, I then had to wait until Monday morning to call Apple Support - and only then (because Apple staff are properly trained and understand customer service and have technical ability) was the suggestion made that my network might have blacklisted my 'phone. Then another visit to a Vodacom shop, this time with me suggesting the above might have happened - which, when they checked, turned out to the the case. I had to fill out a form, produce copies of my ID and also the purchase receipt for the 'phone. Guess what...I am still waiting for the 'phone to be un-blacklisted and I still can't connect to my network to make and receive calls or use mobile data whilst out and about etc. How could this have happened? Imagine if the police stopped you in your own car and confiscated it, stating that it was ****** - yet you knew you had bought it new from a reputable dealer!! How can someone else blacklist my 'phone without producing proof? Or if it was a clerical mistake, how does the system allow such a mistake to happen?!? I am going after Vodacom for compensation, the losses I have suffered and hassle due to their incompetence must be accounted for. Outrageous.