Case Study
THE JABULANI PORTFOLIO
Trunk-loads of Efficiency: How The Jabulani Portfolio Streamlined Budgeting with IDU
ABOUT THE JABULANI PORTFOLIO
Jabulani Portfolio (often known simply as Jabulani) is a luxury safari lodge and conservation group based in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa. Their operations include Jabulani Safari Lodge, hospitality activities tied to the Jabulani Herd elephants, and HERD (Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation & Development), South Africa’s first dedicated elephant orphanage. Proceeds from tourism (guests at the lodge and related experiences) help sustain both conservation of elephants and community upliftment.
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Before implementing IDU, Jabulani Portfolio’s finance team faced significant challenges in managing budgets and forecasts across its diverse operations. In the hospitality industry, budgeting is particularly complex because many expenses are directly linked to “bed nights, ” while others are fixed costs that fluctuate seasonally or during holidays. Keeping track of these varying income streams and expenses across multiple locations added an extra layer of difficulty.
Previously, budgeting was carried out in Excel, which meant that as spreadsheets were sent to multiple people, formulas frequently broke and numbers no longer added up. This made the process time-consuming and error-prone. At the same time, the team relied on Pastel Partner for accounting, which required budgets to be manually transferred into the system, further increasing the workload.
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THE SOLUTION
To overcome these challenges, in 2022 Jabulani Portfolio implemented IDU-Concept as its budgeting, forecasting and reporting platform. This replaced the manual spreadsheet process with a centralised system that reduced errors and improved consistency.
Dashboards and cost-ratio tracking were set up in IDU to give nonfinancial managers clear visibility of expenses and income streams, empowering them to make better-informed decisions.
Although the system initially appeared complex, with some training the team quickly found it intuitive and easy to use.
IDU’s responsive support team also became an important part of the solution, resolving queries within hours and ensuring that the finance team could keep moving without delays.
A PARTNER IN SUCCESS
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“We view every customer as a partner. At IDU, it’s about more than implementing a system, it’s about understanding their business, helping them streamline processes, and providing the ongoing support and advice they need to succeed. Our relationship doesn’t end at installation; we grow with them as their needs evolve. ” - Geoff ten Oever, Account Manager, IDU
“Once they start using IDU, they realise it’s actually very easy to use. The dashboards and ratio tracking help them tremendously and make life easier for everyone. ”
Delene Odendaal, Financial Director - Jabulani Portfolio
THE RESULT
Greater efficiency and productivity: Tasks that previously took days in Excel or manual reconciliation are now completed with a single click.
Reduced time wasted: Broken formulas and repeated manual edits have been eliminated, freeing staff to focus on higher‑value work.
Improved accessibility and transparency: Non‑financial managers gained ownership and clarity through dashboards and ratio metrics.
Responsive support ensured continuity: Queries resolved within hours kept the finance team moving without delays.
