The company outlined its strategy at 麻豆原创 Connect Day 2026, held this week in Kyalami, Johannesburg.

, MD for southern Africa at 麻豆原创, said the company’s role is to support organisations in implementing and scaling agentic AI across end-to-end systems as they transition towards .

Addressing the complexity and cost that continue to challenge organisations migrating systems and platforms, , VP of customer advisory for EMEA at 麻豆原创, said the company’s new agent-led transformation approach could reduce the effort required for multi-year ERP migrations by 35%.

Agentic AI assistants

麻豆原创 has introduced several migration and modernisation AI assistants, including data management, custom code, configuration, test management and change management assistants. According to the company, these are governed by Joule for both developers and consultants and are designed to execute complex business scenarios by reasoning iteratively and interacting with their environment to achieve defined goals.

Nolla cited 麻豆原创 research indicating that the highest-ranked strategy for maximising ROI from AI is aligning initiatives with clear business goals.

麻豆原创 said AI currently supports about 30% of tasks in the average business, with that figure projected to reach 48% within two years.

, head of solution advisory at 麻豆原创, said a major challenge in AI-driven digital transformation is what the company describes as the “enterprise paradox” 鈥� the expectation of instant enterprise AI clashing with the operational reality of complexity, manual processes and human behaviour.

Standard Bank’s transformation journey

, executive group CIO for corporate functions at Standard Bank, outlined the bank’s use of 麻豆原创 technology to address operational challenges, including end-of-life systems, expiring vendor support and the need for a modern cloud ERP platform to support future innovation.

The bank completed a large-scale ERP migration and implementation programme. Modernising core enterprise systems required careful planning, strong governance and close collaboration between business and technology teams. The programme established a platform capable of supporting growth, operational resilience and ongoing innovation.

Padiachee said one of the biggest challenges was the pace of technological change.

“Organisations are required to continuously adapt while maintaining stability across critical business operations. Change management is just as important as the technology implementation itself,” she said.

Modernisation, she added, should improve agility without creating unnecessary disruption to business operations.

She also highlighted the human factor. “It’s really about keeping people calm during turbulence,” she said, adding that AI is fundamentally changing how businesses operate. “The focus should move beyond experimentation towards delivering measurable value.”

According to Padiachee, AI initiatives should align with clear business outcomes rather than be driven by the technology’s popularity.

She said one of the most significant lessons from the transformation programme was the complexity of Unicode conversion.

“In hindsight, this work should have started much earlier in the programme. Unicode conversion proved more complex than anticipated and became a critical dependency for implementation. Investing time in foundational technical readiness significantly reduces downstream project risk.”

Padiachee also stressed the importance of high-quality enterprise data that is accurate, trusted, well-governed and accessible.

She advised organisations planning system and platform migrations, as well as AI integration, to begin with a clearly defined use case, establish strong partnerships and maintain robust governance and guardrails.

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Not so, says , MD: Southern Africa at 麻豆原创.

鈥淓RP is no longer just a system of record,鈥� she tells delegates to 麻豆原创 Connect taking place today in Kyalami.

鈥淲ith agentic AI, we can ensure it runs end-to-end business processes, creating autonomous ERP.鈥�

Today, AI supports 30% of tasks in the average business, according to an Oxford Economics study. And this is projected to rise to 48% in the next two years.

vice-president: customer advisory for EMEA at 麻豆原创, points out that around 40 000 of 麻豆原创鈥檚 customers have already adopted 麻豆原创 Business AI in their productive systems.

鈥淎nd we are learning from that,鈥� he says.

Nolla believes 麻豆原创 is well placed to help customers adopt AI, through its 麻豆原创 Autonomous Enterprise vision.

The key components of this vision are three-fold

鈥淵ou have the capability to bring teams long with one engagement layer 鈥� Joule.

鈥淭eams connect with embedded agents and AI in 麻豆原创 Autonomous Suite, using best practices and processes.

鈥淎nd customers have the ability to extend agents, maintaining context and reasoning, and ensuring governance with .鈥�

Nolla explains that is the engagement layer that connects experts in the business with the AI processes.

It has been available for some time and has been widely used to unify the AI experience. It has also been updated along the way, for instance with Joule Consultants that have more than 100 certifications.

A few weeks ago, 麻豆原创 announced additional evolutions. leveraging Harness-powered Joule and Joule Work to create spaces for specific tasks.

鈥淛oule is the engagement layer to bring the people along,鈥� Nolla summarises.

Adding the processes and best practices, 麻豆原创 Autonomous Suite embeds AI scenarios throughout the portfolio, from HR, customer service, supply chain, finance and industry solutions.

With hundreds of agents available, Joule Assistants help workers by bringing together the relevant agents to perform specific tasks.

鈥淭hink of it as a new team member helping staff accomplish their goals,鈥� Nolla says.

In addition, 麻豆原创 Industry AI is AI that already knows how specific industries operate, so the system can work with context.

鈥淏ut does AI have a true understanding of your business? Is it aligned to your KPIs, and does it have the governance in place?鈥� Nolla asks.

鈥溌槎乖� Business AI Platform brings these capabilities to the business.鈥�

With Joule Studio giving workers the ability to create new agents on the fly, the possibility of hundreds 鈥� even thousands 鈥� of agents within the business could become unwieldly.

鈥淪o governance is more important than ever,鈥� Nolla says. 鈥淭he AI Agent Hub gives IT the ability to connect and understand these agents. They can discover, manage and govern all the agents in one place.

鈥淭his gives the business power, control and trust.鈥�

Within the next few months, 麻豆原创 will also release enriched agentic AI tools and assistants to help with data management, configuration, development and testing to improve migration projects.

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, executive: group CIO for corporate functions at Standard Bank Group, explains that the finance organisation was at a crossroads back in 2022.

鈥淲e had to remediate for an end of life, end of support problem, and we also had a unique business problem we needed to solve for.鈥�

Since then, the organisation has successfully migrated group reporting and the ledgers, and has completed two successful month-ends, she says.

Padiachee points out that technology is changing at such a rapid pace it is hard for organisations to keep up.

鈥淎gentic artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting business, and it鈥檚 no longer around experimentation and productive use cases. We are looking at enterprise-scale cases for real business value.鈥�

The big challenges in this scenario she says, are the workforce, the data and cybersecurity.

But central to any change, she adds, is to retain a business agenda regardless of how hard it is.

鈥淭echnology is hard, but the hardest part of change is the soft side,鈥� Padiachee says.

In her particular project, it took months to get to the point of deciding to migrate to 麻豆原创 Rise. Having decided to go forward, the first order of priority was to bring the various teams together.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about you and your internal teams. There are a number of stakeholders. And it is a long journey, so you have to ensure you keep people calm during the turbulence.鈥�

Although there were not many role changes, Padiachee explains that there was a lot of rethinking about how work was executed. 鈥淲ith the new platforms, teams have the opportunity to solve things differently.鈥�

Padiachee鈥檚 team built a foundation upon which business processes could be optimised. 鈥淪o we partnered with the business to redesign the data processes. And reshaping the processes meant changing the governance and reporting.鈥�

Getting people to change old habits means reinforcing that they had the ability to be more agile and more efficient, layering more functionality with AI.

Padiachee had to balance complexity, with business, regulation and customers on one side, and a technology platform on the other.

鈥淭hese competing priorities were a challenge,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I believe you have to understand where you are now and where you want to go.

鈥淚 am a great believer in architecture: that builds a roadmap about how you want to transform. You can unpack the roadmap and incrementally deliver against it.

鈥淢y vision, from a Standard Bank perspective, is that we have a roadmap and we are now layering on the next pieces of technology.鈥�

Innovation is key, and it鈥檚 important to allow teams to innovate, Padiachee adds. 鈥淭his keeps them inspired and motivated, and lets them hone their own skills.

鈥淏ut it needs to be in a controlled environment, partnering with vendors, keeping governance and guardrails in place, and safeguarding the data. This allows for agility.鈥�

Innovations then need to be brought back into the mainstream systems, again with guardrails, in a controlled and reviewed manner.

What was the main leadership learning that Padiachee has taken away from the migration?

鈥淧artnership was key for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was important to build the right partnerships with all the stakeholders.鈥�

Leaders should also recognise that the project won鈥檛 always go to plan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 OK if the project is red,鈥� Padiachee says. 鈥淭his highlights issues and provides the focus to unpack and resolve those issues.鈥�

She advises that this environment allows teams to give constructive feedback. 鈥淎nd you can鈥檛 just stand aside and watch the project 鈥� sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to help solve a problem.鈥�

A key to the migration鈥檚 success was understanding the roles of IT and business.

鈥淲e led with a technology problem,鈥� Padiachee says. 鈥淭hat was the highest priority because we were facing end of life and support. We then partnered with business to optimise on that.鈥�

Dealing with rapid change needs to be built into any project, she adds. 鈥淗ave a clear strategy and roadmap, and review that roadmap every six months. Things change so quickly, you may need to pivot along the way.鈥�

Sponsorship is critical for project success, she points out. 鈥淚f you start this journey, you need to ensure you have sponsorship from the right executives.鈥�

A big migration goes beyond technology and business: if organisations don鈥檛 embed culture from the beginning, the project can stall.

鈥淲e laid out key roles for IT and business,鈥� Padiachee explains. 鈥淲e had to bring the entire finance team with us, so business took the lead.

鈥淵ou can deliver the best technology, but if you don鈥檛 have right culture you will fail. And you can鈥檛 bring people in at the end 鈥� they have to be on board from the onset.鈥�

Part of the change management was training, which is an continual process, and onboarding.

If it continues on the path of its current vision, Padiachee believes that Standard Bank will be a future-ready organisation, transformed, and running the best AI-enabled and autonomous finance technology.

She concludes with some key takeaways from her experience in migrating to Rise:

• Start with a business case and ensure solid back-up all the way to the board
• Be very clear what problem you need to solve. You can鈥檛 solve everything, so start small then build from there
• Sponsorship is important
• Build partnerships 鈥� and don鈥檛 be afraid to have the tough conversations
• Strong governance is important
• The role between technology and business is critical, with a solid view of what each does
• Ensure that, at end of the programme, you can go back to the business case and check that you did deliver.

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Companies are reviewing their ERP strategies as they balance digital transformation goals with tighter budgets, operational complexity and the need to demonstrate measurable business value, they say.

Andrew Strachan, director of sales at Spinnaker Support Southern Africa,  companies across Africa are reassessing ERP support strategies as decision-makers seek to modernise their environments while managing costs.

“Enterprise software decisions are not like other technology decisions,” said Strachan. 鈥淭imelines are longer, dependencies run deeper and the cost of reversing course 鈥� if reversing course is even possible 鈥� is often measured in years and very substantial sums.”

According to Strachan, the relationship between a major ERP vendor and its customers rests on more than product capability alone. “It is built on trust: trust in the roadmap, trust in the commercial model and trust that the terms you commit to today will not be materially redefined once your business is locked in.”

Gerhard Alberts, head of customer evolution at 麻豆原创 Africa, said trust is ultimately measured by business outcomes.

鈥淲hile customers rightly expect transparency and choice, the greater risk in today’s competitive environment is often the cost of inaction,” he said. “Ultimately, success is measured not by the technology deployed, but by the operational improvements, agility and competitive advantage it enables.鈥�

Alberts said the pace of technological change means companies must adopt relevant technologies to remain competitive, and that customers must be equipped with the most relevant tools to navigate a shifting market. “By not innovating, customers run the risk of attracting direct and potential costs in terms of system and infrastructure stability, security and compliance. This results in an inability to stay competitive across multiple markets due to a lack of agility.鈥�

Strachan said new platforms and regular vendor upgrade announcements are adding pressure on companies already facing constrained budgets, skills shortages, infrastructure complexity and currency pressures.

鈥淚n South Africa and across the African market, large technology decisions are made under intense scrutiny,” he said. “Boards and executive teams are balancing growth ambitions against currency pressure, constrained capital budgets, skills shortages, infrastructure complexity and the need to show clear business value from every major investment. In that context, organisations cannot afford to keep revisiting foundational ERP decisions every few years because the vendor鈥檚 commercial priorities have changed.鈥�

Migration is not modernisation

Courtney Hounsell, client experience manager at Microsoft managed partner Braintree, said AI is reshaping the role of ERP platforms while exposing the limitations of legacy systems. He said outdated ERP infrastructure is hindering AI adoption because many companies mistake cloud migration for digital modernisation.

鈥淢igration is not modernisation,” Hounsell said. “Unfortunately, many companies have merged the two, and the result is a gap that鈥檚 creating incoherence and a lack of visibility, constraining their ability to benefit from AI and its capabilities.”

He explained that cloud migration has been sold as digital modernisation, but this only changes the address of the system. Real modernisation, he said, changes architecture, data models, integration logic and the capacity to generate value. “Companies want their modernisation projects to actively reduce other costs, show long-term ROI and empower their staff with systems that work faster and smarter. So when migration and modernisation are confused, companies end up paying cloud prices for on-premises problems and arrive in the AI era without the foundations required to ensure AI can function effectively.”

Hounsell said the gap between technology investment and business outcomes is widening, leaving companies with limited AI capability and poor data visibility. He cited McKinsey’s “The State of AI in 2025” report, based on a survey of 2 000 executives in 105 countries, which found that 88% of companies have adopted AI in at least one business function.

He said on-premises ERP systems struggle to support AI because data must be extracted, cleaned and transferred before analysis.

鈥淥n-premises ERP systems are struggling uphill within the AI economy,” Hounsell said. “They hold their data in local databases, and to make this usable for AI, it has to be extracted, cleaned and pushed somewhere accessible. Without real-time data pipelines feeding into core systems, AI deployments remain siloed and limited.鈥�

Braintree said ERP modernisation also delivers financial benefits, citing the Forrester Total Economic Impact study of Dynamics 365 Business Central, which found that companies could achieve a 265% ROI, with productivity gains of 12.5% in operations, 15% in sales and 15.6% in finance.

The study also found that companies that modernised successfully avoided more than $30 000 a year in third-party consulting fees, while cloud ERP platforms reduce infrastructure costs and receive automatic updates, including new AI capabilities.

Braintree argued that choosing the right migration partner is as important as selecting the ERP platform itself.

Alberts added that technical debt continues to grow as companies rely on siloed data, ageing infrastructure and extensive custom code, while shortages of legacy skills compound the problem.

鈥淥ver time, doing nothing to save money becomes the most expensive system to maintain, together with the inability to adapt, which has the potential to result in the demise of some organisations,鈥� he said.

Arthur Goldstuck, CEO of World Wide Worx,  after 麻豆原创 Sapphire 2026 that 麻豆原创 CEO Christian Klein described ERP as the “brain” of every business in the age of agentic AI. Goldstuck quoted Klein: 鈥淔or over 15 years, we have been developing an ERP with incredibly deep process and data domain know-how. On top of that, all your governance requirements and customer-specific extensions are stored in the ERP. The ERP is the trusted system of execution running your company.鈥�

According to Garth Ridgway, senior director for 麻豆原创 at NTT DATA, misconceptions about implementation timelines, affordability and suitability for mid-market companies continue to delay modernisation.

“Many executives still assume ERP transformation requires years of disruption and significant upfront investment,” Ridgway said. “In reality, modern cloud ERP platforms have evolved considerably, enabling organisations to adopt best-practice processes more rapidly, scale according to business needs and realise value far sooner than was historically possible.”

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About the client

The client is a leading power and utilities company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, responsible for generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity to millions of residential, commercial, and industrial customers across the region.

As a key player in supporting the nation鈥檚 economic growth and development, the client continuously invests in modernising its organisation鈥檚 infrastructure and optimising operational efficiency to meet the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy.

Project overview

The client embarked on a large-scale restructuring initiative, partnering with a leading consulting firm in the Middle East to streamline and unify their business operations across multiple regions in Saudi Arabia. A critical aspect of this transformation was the Data Unification project for huge amounts of master, transaction and historical data, which aimed to standardise and harmonise master data from diverse regional systems into a single, consistent structure.

Recognising the complexity and scale of the 麻豆原创 data transformation required, the consulting firm sought the expertise of EPI-USE Labs. EPI-USE Labs used their PRISM transformation solution, which combines specialist services and proprietary software, including the Data Sync Manager Landscape Transformation (LT) Suite, supported by EPI-USE Labs鈥� global delivery model. This approach helped the consulting firm to complete the 麻豆原创 data transformation efficiently and effectively. This company also contributed significantly by providing 麻豆原创 functional expertise and business knowledge, ensuring the project was a success.

Key highlights

• Over 4 million classes and characteristics updated
• Over 15 million equipment, orders, notifications and maintenance plans reassigned
• Over 150 million records updated in custom tables
• Data unification of huge amounts of 麻豆原创 master, transaction and historical data
• Complex data harmonisation of millions of data fields
• Automation of complex data mappings at scale
• Consistent, compliant, accurate data with automated validation reports

This joint exercise with EPI-USE Labs has enhanced our rapport and confidence with the client. We were able to deliver operational efficiency and lower the cost due to centralised data management.
  鈥� Project Director, leading consulting firm in the Middle East

The challenge: Fragmented operational data

Following the implementation of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), the client鈥檚 operational data over the years was fragmented across different regional divisions, each with unique data definitions, structures and naming conventions. The client decided to implement a common unification policy to their equipment and assets across the region. The lack of standardisation made it difficult for them to gain a unified view of their operations, impacting reporting, decision-making, and operational efficiency.

The master, transaction and historical Data Unification project required:

• High-volume data transformations: Millions of data fields needed to be mapped and transformed accurately.
• Complex data harmonisation: Aligning data definitions across all regions while maintaining data integrity.
• Risk mitigation: Manual data transformation was not only time-consuming but also posed a high risk of errors.

To address these challenges, they needed a solution that would automate the transformation process, reduce risks, and enhance efficiency.

Specialist data transformation at scale

EPI-USE Labs was engaged by the consulting firm in the Middle East as a specialist data transformation partner, bringing in the EPI-USE Labs鈥� PRISM solution along with specialist software and consultants to handle the data transformation needs, as one team working with the client.

Components of the solution

• Data identification to preview and validate data in scope.
• Automation at scale: The PRISM solution automated complex data mappings and executed transformations with precision. This significantly reduced the need for manual intervention, accelerating the project timeline.
• Advanced transformation capabilities: The engine not only automated standard transformations but also handled complex scenarios, ensuring seamless data unification across the client鈥檚 regions.
• Data consistency and accuracy: Applying predefined mapping rules provided by the consulting firm and the client ensured that the final transformed data output was both consistent and reliable.
• Effective validation reports: EPI-USE Labs assisted the consulting firm in developing automated validation reports to ensure accuracy and integrity throughout the transformation process.

Collaboration with EPI-USE Labs was critical for such a project for the largest utility client in the Middle East. We received constant support from the EPI-USE Labs data expert team and, together, achieved this success.
  鈥� Project Manager, leading consulting firm in the Middle East

EPI-USE Labs expedited our journey in the data unification project. Their software played a critical role where millions of records were transformed without error and with speed.
  鈥� Functional Lead, leading consulting firm in the Middle East

Collaboration and global delivery model

EPI-USE Labs assembled a skilled team from across the globe, including experts from the UK and Europe, to support the project. The team worked closely with the consulting firm鈥檚 project managers and technical and functional leads through daily interactions, fostering strong collaboration and effective problem-solving.

This global techno-functional delivery model enabled the consulting firm and EPI-USE Labs to provide a precise and reliable software-powered solution, ensuring that not only the data transformation requirements were met, but also that the broader functional needs of the client鈥檚 project were addressed.

Solution stages

1. Input stage

• Data sources: Multiple regional databases with fragmented master data.
• Initial state: Inconsistent structures, varying naming conventions, and siloed data.

2. Transformation stage

• EPI-USE Labs鈥� role: Utilisation of the PRISM solution to automate data transformations; execution of complex data mappings, applying predefined rules; integration of both functional and technical expertise to address evolving project needs; significant volume of data to be referenced.
• Technical approach: Automation versus manual effort, with huge efficiency gains; handling of data inconsistencies and real-time adjustments.

3. Output stage

• Unified master data: Harmonised data model supporting the client鈥檚 restructured business processes.
• Business impact: Enhanced reporting, improved operational efficiency, and reduced risk.

The outcome: A hugely successful project

The successful completion of EPI-USE Labs鈥� scope of the project contributed to the broader objectives of the client鈥檚 data unification initiative. The results included:

• Enhanced efficiency: PRISM transformed millions of data fields quickly and accurately, saving the consulting firm and the client both time and resources.
• Reduced risk: By automating the process, EPI-USE Labs minimised the potential for human error and ensured data consistency across the board in the data transformation.
• Operational continuity: The unified master data model enabled the client to streamline reporting and business processes, laying a strong foundation for continued operational optimisation.
• Compliance: The unified master, transaction, and historical data improved compliance by enabling better regulatory oversight and mitigating risks.

Strategic partnership and future opportunities

This project not only met the technical needs, but also strengthened the partnership between the leading consulting firm in the Middle East and EPI-USE Labs, by aligning closely with their project objectives and demonstrating the effectiveness of EPI-USE Labs鈥� PRISM approach. This project demonstrated that 鈥� together with partners 鈥� EPI-USE Labs can effectively tackle big 麻豆原创 System Landscape Optimisation (SLO)/Data Migration and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) and migration/transformation projects in challenging environments.

About EPI-USE Labs

As a global software solutions and managed services company, EPI-USE Labs helps you to maximise the performance, management and security of your 麻豆原创庐 and 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors庐 systems. Our clients tell us every day how we have transformed their business operations.

Contact us to find out how we can help you solve your business challenges

epiuselabs.com | sales@labs.epiuse.com

EPI-USE Labs is a member of Group Elephant.

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The next phase of artificial intelligence (AI) should be shaped with Africa, not simply about or for the continent, according to 麻豆原创’s Director of Global Government Affairs and CSR for Africa, .

His comments follow the launch of the , announced yesterday by international leaders to expand access to AI, strengthen trust and increase its social and economic impact.

The commission brings together representatives from governments, businesses and international organisations to identify practical ways to unlock AI’s potential while promoting equitable access to the technology.

Its inaugural meeting will take place during the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) AI for Good Global Summit, from 7鈥�10 July in Geneva, Switzerland.

The summit forms part of Digital Week, running from 6鈥�10 July, alongside the first UN-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the WSIS Forum 2026.

Geness, who will participate in discussions at the summit, said Africa should approach global AI governance with a clear agenda centred on economic growth and inclusion.

“Africa must meet that room with clarity, not caution. Our agenda should be simple and bold: AI governance that expands prosperity.

“That means compute access, skills investment, trusted data systems, open standards, local-language innovation, accountable public procurement, and regulation that protects people without suffocating entrepreneurs.

“It means turning the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy from a document into national roadmaps, investment pipelines and regional co-operation. This is technology diplomacy: 54 nations aligning where they can, rather than negotiating as 54 separate voices. This is where I hope to add value.”

Africa’s representation on the commission has been strengthened by the appointment of Rwandan President Paul Kagame as co-chair alongside Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff.

According to the ITU, the commission aims to promote equitable access to AI and help narrow the global digital divide.

The organisation said an estimated 2.2 billion people remain offline, leaving around a quarter of the world’s population excluded from AI-driven opportunities.

“A key focus of the AI for Good Global Commission will be to bridge digital divides and help ensure that AI becomes a tool for solving global challenges, not deepening inequalities,” the ITU said.

President Kagame said technology should reduce inequality and broaden access to AI’s benefits.

“One thing is certain: technology is supposed to be a force for good, and we have a responsibility to use it accordingly. Let us work together to reduce inequality and allow more of our citizens to benefit from the good AI can deliver to all of us.”

Benioff said AI’s economic potential depends on maintaining public trust.

The promise of AI is built not only on incredible opportunities for economic growth, but on the foundation of trust required for our shared success.”

ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, vice-chair of the commission, said collaboration across sectors would be essential to ensure AI benefits people globally.

“No organisation can single-handedly put AI at the service of all humanity. It will take collective leadership and the combined expertise of partners across sectors to ensure AI benefits everyone, everywhere.”

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Deputy Executive Mayor and MMC for Finance, Councillor Eugene Modise, announced the rollout on Thursday alongside Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, members of the Mayoral Committee and senior municipal officials. He described the initiative as another milestone in the City鈥檚 drive to modernise public administration and improve financial governance.

鈥淓very rand entrusted to the municipality is managed responsibly, transparently and in the best interests of our residents,鈥� Modise said.

Modise said Tshwane鈥檚 procurement system had long relied on manual, paper-based processes and fragmented approval mechanisms that contributed to delays, inefficiencies and, in some instances, abuse.

He said previous audit findings and internal investigations had identified weaknesses in the City鈥檚 supply chain management, including poor record-keeping and inconsistent compliance. These shortcomings, he said, undermined public confidence, increased costs and slowed service delivery.

麻豆原创 Ariba is a fully integrated, cloud-based procurement and supply chain management platform that digitises supplier registration, sourcing, contract management and procurement transactions.

According to Modise, the platform will create a complete digital audit trail for every procurement transaction, ensuring supplier engagements and approval processes are fully traceable and subject to stronger oversight.

The implementation forms part of the City鈥檚 broader 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Upgrade Programme, one of Tshwane鈥檚 largest financial modernisation projects, with an investment of approximately R237 million.

Modise also used the occasion to reject what he described as inaccurate public commentary about Tshwane鈥檚 financial health, saying the municipality鈥檚 latest figures reflected sound financial management rather than financial distress.

He said the City collected approximately R43.93 billion in revenue during the 2025/26 financial year, representing 98% of the revenue projected in its Budget Funding Plan despite ongoing economic pressure on households and businesses.

Revenue collection in June exceeded expectations, with the City collecting more than R4.18 billion, surpassing the monthly funding target by more than R544 million and achieving 115% of its target. By June 26, before the financial year had officially ended, collections had already exceeded R3.6 billion.

Modise said that after paying employee salaries, the municipality maintained a positive cash balance of about R1.8 billion. He added that the  remained fully compliant with its Eskom debt repayment agreement while continuing to reduce its overall debt book.

Linking the City鈥檚 financial performance to the procurement reforms, Modise said sustainable financial management depends on robust governance systems rather than short-term interventions.

鈥淪trong financial management depends on strong systems,鈥� he said, noting that procurement represents one of the largest areas of municipal expenditure.

He said digital platforms such as 麻豆原创 Ariba reduce opportunities for irregular expenditure, improve compliance and oversight, and enable faster, data-driven decision-making through real-time reporting.

Modise said the reforms were intended to build 鈥渁 capable, transparent and financially sustainable municipality that earns the confidence of residents through responsible governance and measurable results.鈥�

He added that the new procurement platform would also simplify doing business with the City by making procurement processes more efficient and accessible for legitimate suppliers.

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JSE-listed mining group   has provided an update to shareholders, detailing significant progress on its 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system re-implementation .

The announcements, following a series of JSE News Service releases since March 2026, highlight the company鈥檚 strategic efforts to fortify its internal controls and address operational challenges.

麻豆原创 S/4HANA ERP Rebuild Nears Final Phase

Following the cyberattack in December 2024 that compromised its previous ERP system, the Wesizwe Board approved the implementation of a new 麻豆原创 S/4HANA system to replace the legacy software.

The primary objective of this project is to strengthen the company鈥檚 internal control environment and drive operational efficiency.

While the initial go-live target was set for early June 2026, the timeline was adjusted to prioritize the finalization of the Audited Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 (AFS).

The company valued at more than R813 million noted that this step was critical to guarantee data accuracy and integrity within the new system before migration.

With the completion of the 2025 AFS, the re-implementation project has accelerated significantly.

Key milestones achieved include:

• Core System Setup:聽Full configuration of the core system has been finalized.
• Data Standardization:聽All master data has been comprehensively reviewed and standardized.
• Balance Migration:聽The migration of opening balances is currently in its final stages.

The project is now entering its decisive phase, with the migration to the live production environment imminent. This marks the transition to operational use and will enable user access across the platform.

Near-Term Priorities for ERP Stabilisation:

Management is focused on ensuring a seamless transition and rapid post-go-live stabilization. Priority activities include:

• Targeted on-site user training and refresher programs.
• Back-capturing and processing of transactions from January 2026 to date.
• Integration of additional group entities into the new system.
• Rollout of enhanced functionality, including asset, inventory, and maintenance management.

Wesizwe Platinum reiterated its commitment to executing a controlled implementation and will continue to update shareholders on material developments.

Bakubung Mine Commences Section 189 Consultation Process

In a separate development, Wesizwe Platinum confirmed on 04 June 2026 that it has initiated a consultation process in terms of Section 189(3), read with Section 189A of the Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995, at its flagship Bakubung Platinum Mine in Ledig, North West Province.

The process stems from an ongoing review of the mine鈥檚 operational and economic position. The company is implementing a turnaround strategy aimed at preserving liquidity, protecting long-term viability, and repositioning the business toward a sustainable 3.5 Mtpa operational model.

Commitment to Transparent Engagement

Wesizwe emphasized that no final decision has been made regarding retrenchments. The Section 189 process serves as a formal, joint consensus-seeking consultation with recognized trade unions and elected employee representatives. Discussions will focus on the reasons for the proposed restructuring, alternatives to retrenchment, and measures to mitigate impact on employees.

鈥淲e recognize the sensitivity of this process and its potential impact on employees, families, host communities, and stakeholders,鈥� the company stated. 鈥淲e remain committed to engaging openly, responsibly, and constructively with all affected parties as the process unfolds.鈥�

Temporary Operational Shutdown as Precautionary Measure

As a precautionary measure, and in alignment with its 鈥榋ero Harm to People and the Environment鈥� value, Bakubung Platinum Mine has instituted a temporary operational shutdown. This measure allows the company to monitor the situation and ensure the safety and security of employees before operations resume.

Wesizwe affirms that operations will recommence once the company is satisfied that it is safe and appropriate to do so. The company remains dedicated to managing this process lawfully, fairly, and responsibly while protecting the long-term sustainability of Bakubung Platinum Mine.

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, Head of Cloud ERP, 麻豆原创 Business Suite for 麻豆原创 Middle East & South Africa, on why the road to the autonomous enterprise still runs through clean core, trusted data, and the people who must live with the change.

Christian Klein gave Sapphire 2026 its most quotable line when he said no AI agent can compensate for a bad data landscape. For the Middle East and Africa markets that聽Pieter Van Der Merwe聽covers at 麻豆原创, that reads more like a starting gun. Van Der Merwe advises customers across the UAE, a region split between government-mandated agentic AI in the Gulf and parts of Africa still securing their first foundational cloud workloads, yet all staring down the same 2027 ECC deadline.

, he gave a working practitioner鈥檚 view of the market. He was candid about where RISE programs stall, why the first year is organizational change wearing a technology costume, and why prized customizations are often historical workarounds in disguise.

麻豆原创insider: 麻豆原创鈥檚 Africa messaging has intensified throughout 2026, and the autonomous enterprise framing surfaced early from MEA leadership. Is this a pivot, and why does the idea land here first?

Pieter Van Der Merwe: Africa has always been a growth market; what changed is the convergence of cloud ERP, business AI, data sovereignty and skills development. Some African enterprises carry less embedded legacy customization and can move faster. Others run highly customized environments built over years around payroll, procurement, and financial reporting.

The framing of a business that can sense, decide, and act with minimal human intervention resonates here for practical reasons, including resource constraints and the opportunity to leapfrog rather than replicate the mature-market journey. The opportunity is around clean cloud ERP, trusted data and embedded AI as the foundation for more agile, competitive organizations.

麻豆原创i: Africa and the UAE are in very different places. What does a realistic autonomous enterprise roadmap look like for these regions in 2026?

Van Der Merwe:聽It starts with the unglamorous essentials such as modernizing the core and fixing the data foundation. Our CEO, Christian Klein, noted at Sapphire 2026 that no AI agent can compensate for a poor data landscape, so good data is the prerequisite for everything else.

The near-term value lies in the embedded AI scenarios that already live in RISE, such as finance automation, HR workflow and supply chain exception management. These are switched on inside existing 麻豆原创 Cloud environments. The agentic layer arrives as the foundations mature. The African and Middle Eastern organizations well-positioned in 2028 are the ones investing in that foundation now, even when the autonomous vision feels distant.

麻豆原创i:聽When a customer commits to RISE, what do the first 12 months look like, and where does it diverge from expectations?

Van Der Merwe: The first 12 months are a business transformation program disguised as a technology migration. The technology, 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud, infrastructure, and licensing are relatively straightforward. The depth of organizational change, such as how people work, how decisions are made, and how processes are structured, catches organizations off guard. Without governance and stakeholder engagement, even the best platform underdelivers.

The most common divergence is data readiness. Poor-quality, inconsistent master data surfaces early and erodes user trust, which is hard to recover from. The second is customization. Organizations underestimate how much of the current configuration is genuine business logic versus historical workaround, and that distinction is decisive for clean core. One welcome change post-Sapphire is that RISE customers get three Joule Assistants activated in their first year, giving a tangible AI experience during the foundational phase.

麻豆原创i: Post-Sapphire, are customers feeling more urgency on the 2027 ECC deadline, or using the AI vision as a reason to pause?

Van Der Merwe: The 2027 deadline is real. 麻豆原创 has made it clear that ECC customers who commit to migrating most of their landscape to 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP gain access to select AI scenarios in the interim, so there is a bridge. The best-placed customers when agentic capabilities mature are those already running clean-core 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, because that is the foundation the autonomous suite is built on. Waiting for the full vision before starting the foundation is the wrong sequence. If anything, the bigger risk is reorganizing priorities too ambitiously and trying to tackle everything at once.

麻豆原创i: Clean core is the prerequisite for everything 麻豆原创 promises, but in heavily customized landscapes, it can feel like undoing years of work. How do you win a buy-in?

Van Der Merwe: By reframing what those customizations represent. Some encode genuine differentiation, process logic that reflects how the business truly operates, and deserve to be preserved as extensions on  using clean-core methodology. But much of the customization in mature landscapes is a historical workaround, through integration patches and decisions made under time pressure decades ago.

The conversation must involve finance, operations, and process owners. The framing that works is forward-looking: what does clean core unlock, specifically the AI scenarios now in RISE, and what does it cost to keep maintaining the current complexity? As support deadlines approach, that calculation changes sharply. The people dimension matters too. Teams whose identity is built around managing customized systems need a new value proposition of supervising AI-augmented processes rather than wrestling with complexity.

麻豆原创i: The autonomous vision depends on trusted data and standardized processes. How prepared are organizations, and are some underestimating the foundational work?

Van Der Merwe: Both are genuinely hard, and neither is solved at contract signing. Data readiness is the most underestimated challenge. 麻豆原创鈥檚 platform response- 麻豆原创 Business Data Cloud (BDC), Knowledge Graph and the Reltio acquisition- is meaningful, but zero-copy sharing and semantic enrichment do not substitute for master data governance.

Process standardization is the other half. The autonomous suite is built around standardized, cloud-aligned processes, so organizations that customized for years face a real renegotiation. The most forward-thinking organizations treat it as an opportunity to redesign processes for the AI era, rather than replicate old ones in a new system.

麻豆原创i: Where do RISE programs most commonly stall, and what separates the customers who push through?

Van Der Merwe: The stall points cluster in three areas: data-readiness failures that force unplanned remediation; change-management breakdowns where the business disengages and IT drives alone; and integration complexity across mixed 麻豆原创 and non-麻豆原创 landscapes. Those who push through have the qualities of change leadership, such as engaged executive sponsorship, quick decision-making governance, and a willingness to standardize where standardization is available. The technology is mature and stable; the implementation process and organizational alignment are where programs succeed or fail.

麻豆原创i: Joule was positioned at Sapphire as 麻豆原创鈥檚 new front door. What does it mean for a customer mid-journey on RISE?

Van Der Merwe: Customers should be thinking about Joule now, even if full deployment is progressive. The positioning of Joule Work is a significant UX shift. For customers mid-journey, the practical question is which Joule capabilities are already available in their current RISE configuration and whether they are activating them, because the embedded scenarios and early assistant capabilities do not require a completed transformation. The broader Joule Work experience, across web, desktop, mobile and voice, moves to general availability in H2 2026. That timeline is closer than many realize.

麻豆原创i: 麻豆原创 has more than 295 AI-powered scenarios embedded across its applications. Which are getting real traction, and which are still promising on paper?

Van Der Merwe: The strongest traction is where AI is embedded directly into existing workflows, and the value is obvious: finance, HR, procurement, supply chain, and customer service, because they involve high-volume processes and measurable outcomes. Think faster financial close, guided buying and invoice processing in procurement, demand sensing and exception management in supply chain.

Where a use case stays more promising than practical, the problem lies with the customer environment. If data is fragmented, processes are inconsistent, or governance is immature, even strong AI struggles to deliver value at scale.

麻豆原创i: The autonomous enterprise means AI executing actions humans perform today. How are the most forward-thinking customers approaching the human side?

Van Der Merwe: Organizations must treat AI as a work redesign strategy, not a replacement strategy. Employees move from repetitive execution toward supervision, exception handling, judgment, and continuous improvement. People must understand why the organization is changing and what skills keep them valuable, or AI copilots become another layer nobody trusts or uses.

It also demands reskilling, like learning to work with AI, interpreting its recommendations, and escalating exceptions where accountability still rests with people. The most mature organizations build cross-functional teams across business, technology, operations, compliance and change. The principle is simple: autonomous does not mean human-free. It means people focus on higher-value work while intelligent systems handle the repetitive and predictable.

麻豆原创i: Have you seen the RISE-to-autonomous journey deliver something genuinely different from previous 麻豆原创 transformation cycles?

Van Der Merwe: The example of IBM migrating from 麻豆原创 ECC to 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private across 175 countries and more than 150,000 users in 18 months is instructive. The move contributed to over $4.5 billion in productivity savings. What is different in this cycle is the speed and scope. A transformation at that scale would once have taken far longer, and the AI tooling now applied to the migration itself, reducing effort by up to 35% on 麻豆原创鈥檚 own figures, is part of that story.

In advanced deployments, the qualitative shift is from static reporting to active intervention. What feels genuinely new is the convergence of data, AI and process in a single governed environment, delivering systems that learn and adapt in real time.

麻豆原创i: What is the one piece of advice you would give to a CIO or IT director in the Middle East and Africa navigating the 2027 deadline and autonomous vision?

Van Der Merwe: Do not treat these as separate issues. The 2027 deadline, the move to cloud ERP, and the autonomous enterprise are the same strategic decision: How ready your organization is for the next decade. The immediate priority is to modernize the core and fix the data foundation, because without it, AI stays trapped in isolated use cases. Then focus on business value: the processes where AI can protect revenue, improve cash flow, reduce risk, or unlock capacity. Do not modernize for technology鈥檚 sake.

Finally, bring people in early. This is as much a leadership, skills, and operating model shift as a technology one. My strongest advice is simple. Start now, start with the core, and build a roadmap that integrates migration, data, AI, and people into a single transformation agenda.

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Organisations across industries are using cloud modernisation to build stronger digital foundations, unlock greater agility and embed artificial intelligence directly into business processes.

Companies across Europe are demonstrating how cloud transformation is creating the foundation for more intelligent, resilient and efficient business operations, with several organisations showcasing recent implementation progress at 麻豆原创 麻豆原创PHIRE, held in Madrid between 19 and 21 May.

, Managing Director for Southern Africa at 麻豆原创, says: 鈥淐loud transformation has become the foundation for the next phase of business innovation. By modernising core systems and moving to more scalable, secure and intelligent platforms, organisations can simplify complexity, strengthen resilience and create the conditions for AI to deliver measurable business value.鈥�

Companies RISE to the cloud

is emerging as a leading force in AI-driven retail transformation, combining large-scale cloud adoption with hands-on co-innovation to shape the future of the industry together with 麻豆原创. Following its successful go-live in 2025, Salling Group now operates what is widely regarded as the largest private cloud deployment of globally.

This transformation has laid the digital foundation for embedding AI directly into core retail processes鈥攖urning ERP from a transactional backbone into an intelligent, real-time decision engine.

For Salling Group, technologies such as and 麻豆原创 Business AI are not incremental improvements, but a fundamental change in how the business operates. From forecasting and replenishment to store operations and reporting, AI is enabling faster decisions, reducing manual workloads, and helping employees focus on higher-value tasks.

Agents automate time-consuming procurement task

The Danish wholesaler has deployed artificial intelligence to automate one of the most time-consuming tasks in procurement: processing supplier order confirmations. The solution consists of multiple AI agents, each responsible for a clearly defined task, orchestrated into a single automated workflow built on 麻豆原创鈥檚 Business AI framework. The outcome is faster processing, improved data quality, and more accurate delivery information for customers.

With the coordinated AI agents in place, the company can now automatically identify delays, quantity changes, and price discrepancies 鈥� and respond significantly faster.

鈥淲e have previously tried both robotic process automation (RPA) and traditional automation approaches without really achieving the desired effect. The key difference this time is that we broke the task down into multiple independent AI agents, each responsible for a specific part of the process. Together, they now handle what previously required manual review,鈥� says , IT Director at 尝别尘惫颈驳丑-惭眉濒濒别谤.

The solution was implemented in close collaboration with , which was responsible for making the solution production-ready and fully integrated into 尝别尘惫颈驳丑-惭眉濒濒别谤鈥檚 麻豆原创 landscape.

鈥淏y distributing responsibilities across multiple AI agents, 尝别尘惫颈驳丑-惭眉濒濒别谤 has been able to automate a complex process without losing transparency or control. This has enabled a fast and secure transition from pilot to production and ensures a more robust solution that can easily be expanded as new requirements emerge,鈥� says , 麻豆原创 UX Manager at NTT DATA Business Solutions.

鈥淭his is the first AI agent solution we have put into production. The experience has given us the confidence to consider similar approaches across other areas, including invoice processing and order management,鈥� Frederik Aakerlund concludes.

Pillay adds: 鈥淭hese examples show how cloud modernisation and AI adoption are becoming inseparable. When organisations have a strong digital core, trusted data and scalable cloud infrastructure, they can move beyond experimentation and start embedding intelligence into the processes that matter most. That is where transformation begins to translate into real business impact.鈥�

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