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Among all respondents, the matter of time was identified as a major source of frustration. Many respondents claimed that Egyptians have no sense of time, whereas others equated timeliness with the availability of money.

“Tyd bestaan nie...”21 – I

“When I started working here I was very shocked at how the manager ran the

company, it was very harsh. Everybody had to be at the office at 9 o’clock. One minute late, money would be taken off your salary. In the beginning it was harsh, no one in South Africa worked like that, but here that is what you have to do. And everybody was on time, so they can do it. When there is money out of your pocket, you can be on time. There has to be an incentive to be on time, you know...” – C

“They don’t bother to abide by deadlines.” – M

“Sy’s nooit betyds nie, maar sodra jy praat van geld is sy altyd betyds.”22 – I

“Everything is complicated, they complicate everything, just because I think they don’t want to work … they’re prepared to work overtime, they work hard. If you’re going to pay they’ll work hard … they’re great! They’re like little ants sometimes that never stop, if the money is there … Like I said; it’s transactional. I’ve had workers who work 12 hours and the job’s not done, and I say, ‘Okay, I’ll pay you this much if you continue to 16 hours’ and they say, ‘Sure’. No fighting, no nothing…” – B

Feghali, (1997:366-368) as stated earlier, classify time in the Arab region as polychromic with social interaction guiding behaviour rather than schedules, clocks and calendars. It is clear that this approach towards time management (or lack thereof) causes great frustration on the part of South African expatriates. Money, however, changes the behaviour. This is interesting as it points to a socio-economic reality shaping the lives of Egyptians. The fact that financial remuneration can persuade someone to be on time refers to a need among

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Time doesn’t exist.

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Egyptians to generate more income – either because their income is low and insufficient or because it is an easy manner in which to make more money.

“The ones that live there are very frustrated because the salaries are very low and the jobs are very bad.” – C

“She said she just wants to get out of Egypt, because there are no job opportunities here, [and] her salary is very bad.” – C

The present state of Egypt has seen its people suffer financially and the local colleagues of most expatriates earn substantially less that they do. The centrality of “money” in these “transactional relationships” is crucial. This may also be the origin of the perception of Egyptians as wheelers and dealers:

“The taxis will try and rip you off.” – A & B

“Despite how nice they are, it’s transactional. They’ll never ask for anything, but they’ll stop doing what they’re doing, and that drives me crazy! If someone is friendly with you, it’s because they want a tip. Like my previous landlord; fantastic, until we told him we are moving out, and then it was like World War Three. And they make up rules as they go along. Our landlord became an asshole.” – A & B

“It’s no fun unless you’re negotiating a discount. Egyptians love it; they thrive on a discount. I mean when I used to go to a meeting, I’d sit down and you never discuss business initially, you’d have a chat and then a cup of tea and once you’ve had your tea, then you discuss business and then it’s always a case about, ‘meet me half way’ - ‘If I give you this then you give me that’, you know …? It’s always about getting a discount. It’s not a malicious thing, and it’s not done to rip you of; it’s the Egyptian way: they do business and it’s always about discounts and negotiations ... and it’s just their culture. It’s a cultural thing.” – C

“If they could cheat somebody and get away with it, they would do it immediately.” – G

“Everybody is trying to make a quick buck here and there. It’s because they pay people

such bad salaries, you know? If you pay people bad salaries, you encourage that sort of thing to happen. That’s why the police are so corrupt; the police in South Africa are the same. You have a workforce that is not properly educated, they’re paid peanuts … you are going to get corruption. As long as the police force is corrupt, you’re never going to get a crime-free society. It’s a big problem here – corruption.” – C

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The above statements communicate South African expatriates’ perception of Egyptians as tricksters trying to “make a quick buck here and there”. The presence of corruption within the workplace is another concern for them. The quote by C acknowledges the rationale behind “cheating” and corruption by admitting that many Egyptians live far beyond their means due to low salaries. She admits that the situation is not much different in South Africa, but that it creates frustration in the workplace nonetheless. Acknowledging the relevance of the socio- economic realities of many Egyptians, C also recognises negotiation as a cultural phenomenon with no malicious intent.