Choosing an ERP in Zimbabwe: a practical checklist
Most ERP demos look good. The differences show up in the details a Zimbabwean business lives with: ZIMRA, two currencies, payroll rules, unreliable connections, and who picks up the phone when something goes wrong. Use this list with any supplier, including us.
Compliance
- Is fiscalisation certified by ZIMRA, and built in or bolted on?
- Does it produce VAT working papers at 15.5%, with input VAT evidence checked?
- Does payroll handle PAYE (FDS and non-FDS), NSSA, NEC, ZIMDEF and pay in two currencies the way ZIMRA sets out?
- Who signs off new statutory rates, and is that recorded?
Money
- USD and ZWG in one set of books, or two systems and a spreadsheet?
- Are exchange gains and losses posted, and balances revalued at month end?
- Can the till take both currencies and give change correctly?
Operations
- Does the till keep selling when the internet drops, and what happens to those sales afterwards?
- Stock by branch, transfers through transit, and available versus committed?
- Imports: shipments, Bills of Entry and landed cost in the stock value?
- Approvals before money moves, and an audit trail of who did what?
Getting started and staying running
- How is your data moved across, and is every line checked first?
- Is payroll run in parallel before anyone is paid from the new system?
- Where does it run, how is it backed up, and has a restore been tested?
- Who supports it, where are they, and how are upgrades tested before they reach you?
- What is in the price, and what isn't: modules, users, branches, training, hosting?
See it with your own work
Ask for a walkthrough of your own workflow, not a generic demo: a sale at your counter, a shipment like yours, your payroll. A supplier who can show it will usually show it gladly.
This guide explains general practice. It isn’t tax or legal advice: confirm rates and choices with your accountant or payroll adviser.