Loading Screen connection error

After the champ select screen my screen went black and i got a message "Unable to connect to server. Please check your network connection and attempt to reconnect."

I've been trying to get back in and the game does not let me. At all. The same error, over and over and over again.

The worst part? I get punished for it! Leaver Buster put me in 20-minute wait periods for 5 games. I thought I fixed the issue and it still. Does. Not. Connect. If Riot is having server problems, that's fine. But please don't punish me for it.

I live in southern part of Africa, and while the ping is not amazing (average 298-308), i can play competently and still enjoy the game. This error does not happen in any other game for me.

Is there a way to fix this issue, or at least not punish me?