Fresh hope for South Africa

Readers write about South Africa, financial advice, queuing and employment

A reader says student protests in South Africa are not all peaceful. Nic Bothma / EPA

I refer to Joseph Dana's opinion article, Has South Africa stopped progressing? (October16).

The student protests referred to by the writer were not peaceful. The damage caused by them ran into millions.

The main issue is that the ANC government made promises it didn’t keep.

But there is hope, because the Democratic Alliance has won elections in some key areas.

Hopefully, the South African people will see the progress and stop clinging to a party that is no longer the ANC of Nelson Mandela.

M Smalberger, Abu Dhabi

Keeping track of your spending is key to success

Mahmoud Kassem gives some good advice in his column, Stay the course – for financial and physical health (October 17)

Everyone’s aim should be to get their financial house in order. Learn how to better manage your money and debt in both the short and long term. Find out how to save an emergency fund.

Track your spending. If you don’t know where your money goes, it can be difficult to find opportunities to save. Keep track of your spending habits to help identify areas where you can cut expenses.

Name withheld by request

Dammam is not ready for tourists

Saudi Arabia's oil hub Dammam feels the pinch across all sectors (October 16) raises the prospect of a tourism industry in that city.

The question is: what does Dammam have to offer tourists?

When I was there, even the petrol stations were 30 years behind the standard here – the only modern one being Enoc. Few of the roads have white lines, so it was difficult to keep in the correct lane while ­driving.

It’s going to require massive investment to put Dammam on the map as a tourist destination.

Randall Mohammed, Dubai

Waiting is bad for my health

On a recent morning, I went to the Daman headquarters in the city centre to renew my health insurance.

At the reception desk, I was told that all my papers and documentation were in order, so I was given a ticket and told to sit down and wait for my number to be called.

Two hours and 43 minutes later, my number was called. The transaction at the desk took two minutes. This is an unacceptable standard of customer service.

David Willis, Abu Dhabi

Arrest a result of cooperation

I refer to the story about the arrest of Rolando "Kerwin" Espinosa Jr (Philippines drug suspect arrested in Abu Dhabi, October 17).

Extradite him soon. No drug dealer or criminal suspect should feel safe by escaping to another country.

Habib Hazim, Abu Dhabi

Thank you to the Abu Dhabi Police for working with authorities in my country to arrest this man.

Dorothy Buffe-Tolentinp, Philippines

How to collect unpaid wages?

Unscrupulous employers 'bullying pregnant women from their jobs (October 16) struck a chord with me.

My wife’s employer has refused to pay her maternity leave. What can we do?

Name withheld by request

Infrastructure suggestion

I am writing in reference to your editorial, Infrastructure programmes are welcome (October 15).

I think that Abu ­Dhabi needs a metro and a train service linking it to Dubai.

Chris Reid, Dubai

Bridging the gap in employment

I was pleased to read Training company helps Emirati employees become perfectly suited for the job (October 17).

It is good to see that there is someone who can bridge the gap between the Emirati workforce and employers in the private sector.

Jobseekers need to understand the benefits of working in the private sector, and private employees need to understand how to understand cultural differences. Name withheld by request