Botash SA replaces manual budgeting with IDU and turns month-end reporting into a tool for faster management decisions.

Botash SA is Africa’s supplier of choice for natural sodium products, operating as the exclusive South African sales, marketing, and distribution arm of Botswana Ash. Supplying soda ash, salt, and sodium bicarbonate to the glass, detergent, chemical, and mining industries, the company runs a lean but operationally demanding finance function from its Gauteng base. Keeping budgets accurate and management reporting timely is essential to how the business runs.

Nomvula Dipeere, Accountant at Botash SA, first encountered IDU through the parent company, Botswana Ash, which had been using the system for budget inputs. As the person responsible for the South African branch, she used IDU to submit figures into the group process and quickly saw its potential. At that point, Botash SA’s own budgets were still done manually. “It was quite a tedious exercise,” she says. “We thought, this is something we also need as an organisation.”

The moment came at IDU’s annual conference. Dipeere approached the IDU team, and very quickly, the system was live, ready for the upcoming budget cycle. The speed of implementation meant there was no disruption to the business and no missed budget season. From day one, both the budgeting and reporting modules were in use.

“We’ve seen quite a lot of value. It has saved us a lot of time, reduced errors, and our accuracy has improved quite a bit.”

— Nomvula Dipeere, Accountant, Botash SA

The reporting side of IDU has made the most immediate difference. Month-end close is a demanding period, and the cost-versus-budget reporting that management needs to make decisions had always competed for time and attention against everything else on the list. On some months, Dipeere simply could not get to it. With IDU, that is no longer a risk. Reports are produced timeously, and management has the visibility they need to act. “They know where they are sitting in terms of their costs,” she says, “and they are able to make decisions quicker with all the information that they need.”

A partner in success

Margie Whitten, Director at IDU, says: “Botash SA is a great example of how IDU can make an immediate, practical difference even in a lean finance team. Nomvula moved quickly from seeing the system in use at the parent company to implementing it in their own South African operation, and the results have been tangible from the start. We look forward to supporting them as they continue to grow their use of the platform.”

The IDU support experience has stood out throughout. Dipeere describes the training as impeccable and the team as genuinely dedicated. Her primary contact, David, has been a consistent presence since implementation. “In less than 20 minutes he will be on a call with you to assist you where you’re stuck,” she says. “The IDU team is very dedicated. They do allocate the time that is needed, and if you need more, they bring that in as well.” That responsiveness matters when a small finance team is learning a new system and has no margin for extended downtime.

With the core budgeting and reporting functions now embedded, Dipeere is already looking ahead. The conversation with IDU has turned to additional features that can add further value as the team grows in confidence with the platform. For a business that came to IDU through its parent company and implemented quickly off the back of a conference conversation, the trajectory is a clear one: a team that moved fast, got results, and is now building on what they have. 

“It’s a system I would recommend. Definitely. The training is impeccable and the team is always there when you need them.”

— Nomvula Dipeere, Accountant, Botash SA