North-West University replaces spreadsheet budgeting with consolidation control across a 60,000-student institution.

North-West University is one of South Africa’s larger universities, with a student body of 60,000 spread across multiple campuses. The financial planning department sits at the centre of a budgeting process that spans a wide network of planners and cost centres, each feeding into a consolidated institutional view. Getting that consolidation right, reliably and on time, is the core challenge the team faces every budget cycle.

Before IDU, there was no dedicated budgeting system. The department relied on spreadsheets, with all the version control risk and consolidation complexity that entails. At the scale North-West University operates, that approach was inherently fragile. “You can imagine the possibility of errors if you are using spreadsheets,” says Farai Chingono, Manager Financial Planning & Analysis, who has been with the institution for six years and oversees the IDU system as administrator. The need for something purpose-built was clear.

“I joined the university three years ago and already I am an administrator. I think that speaks highly about how user-friendly the system is and how quickly it is possible for a person to really learn it.”

— Thapi Moyakhe, Assistant Accountant, North-West University

IDU addressed the consolidation challenge directly. With a large number of planners inputting data across the institution, the platform’s ability to roll up figures automatically from cost centre to department to institution gave the finance team the control and confidence that spreadsheets could not provide. For Chingono, this remains the system’s most important capability: reliable, accurate consolidation at institutional scale.

The speed at which the team has been able to build capability on the platform has been equally notable. Thapi Moyakhe joined North-West University three years ago with no prior IDU experience and has since become a system administrator. The learning curve was short. “I was able to learn the system and really master it quickly,” says Moyakhe. “I think that speaks highly about how user-friendly it is.” In a department where staff turnover or new additions could otherwise create a knowledge gap, that accessibility is a practical advantage.

A partner in success

Geoff ten Oever, Account Manager at IDU, says: “North-West University is exactly the kind of institution that demonstrates why purpose-built budgeting tools matter. At 60,000 students, the consolidation demands are real and the margin for spreadsheet error is zero. We’re proud to support Farai, Thapi, and the team, and look forward to continuing to grow with them.”

Support has been a consistent theme in how the North-West University team describes working with IDU. Chingono notes that even complex, institution-specific challenges are met with responses that demonstrate genuine understanding rather than generic guidance. “Sometimes we face difficult challenges where you wonder whether a third party will be able to understand what we need,” he says. “Almost every time, we get the right type of support and they’re always available.” Moyakhe echoes the point: “The time in which we get a response is actually amazing.”

For a financial planning team managing a complex multi-campus institution, the combination of consolidation power, ease of use, and responsive support has made IDU a system the department relies on with confidence. The recommendation from the team is unambiguous. 

“100% highly recommended.”

— Farai Chingono, Manager Financial Planning & Analysis, North-West University