Free Cancellation does not apply

On the 23 June 2021 I booked a rental car online with Woodforde in Cape town. The car was booked from the 28 June to 3 July. I paid a deposit of R1000. Free cancellation was part of the booking. On the 27 July it was announced that the country will go into lockdown level4. I was forced to cancel my trip to Cape Town. I cancelled my booking with Woodeford on the 27 June. When I requested a refund I was informed that the company does NOT give refunds. Smangele Mbhele from Woodford informed me that they will issue me with a voucher to use whenever I need to hire a car. The problem is I may never require to hire a car so what do I do with the voucher. When I made booking I was not informed that I will not get my deposit back in cash. All that was stated in the booking is that there will be free cancellation. I am still trying to get my R1000 back from this company. Please be careful when paying a deposit to this company. The free cancellation does not apply.