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Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects: A practical guide for South African businesses

Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects: A practical guide for South African businesses

Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects: A practical guide for South African businesses

Introduction: Why South Africa is modernising legacy ERP now

In 2025, South African organisations are under intense pressure to modernise their legacy ERP systems while keeping operations stable, compliant, and cost-effective.[2] As AI, workflow automation, and cloud-native platforms go mainstream, ERP is no longer a back-office tool – it is a strategic enabler of innovation and real-time decision-making.[2]

This is where Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects becomes especially relevant. Twala is a South African-built integration and automation platform that helps companies bridge the gap between old, heavily customised ERP environments and modern cloud, SaaS, and data platforms – without a risky “big bang” replacement.[1][5]

In this article, we unpack how South African companies can use Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects to:

  • Modernise legacy ERP step-by-step instead of via disruptive re-platforming
  • Deliver workflow automation – a trending priority for SA organisations in 2025[5]
  • Connect ERP with modern CRM, analytics, and AI while complying with POPIA and local regulations
  • Increase observability and reliability across hybrid and on-prem landscapes[1]

What makes legacy ERP modernization so hard in South Africa?

South Africa has one of the most mature ERP markets in Africa, and it is growing at an annual compound rate of nearly 15% between 2024 and 2030.[2] Yet many organisations are still running:

  • Heavily customised, on-premise ERP systems
  • Custom integrations to finance, HR, payroll, or line-of-business systems
  • Manual workflows built around spreadsheets and email

Modernisation is difficult because:

  1. Customisations block “clean core” strategies: Years of bespoke code and point-to-point integrations make it hard to move to a standardised, cloud-ready ERP core.[2]
  2. Regulation and localisation are non-negotiable: Systems must support POPIA, SARS, B-BBEE, and local tax and payroll requirements from day one.[2]
  3. Hybrid is here to stay: Infrastructure constraints and cost realities mean many organisations will run hybrid ERP (on-prem + cloud) for years.[2]
  4. Risk tolerance is low: Boards expect transformation, but will not accept downtime on finance, procurement, or supply chain.

Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects directly addresses these constraints by focusing on integration-led modernisation instead of “rip and replace”.[1][5]

How Twala supports legacy ERP modernization projects

1. Integration-led modernisation, not big-bang replacement

Twala acts as an integration and automation layer that connects your legacy ERP to modern SaaS solutions, data platforms, and cloud-native services.[1][5] Rather than replacing ERP immediately, you:

  1. Expose ERP data and processes safely via Twala connectors
  2. Automate and modernise specific workflows around ERP
  3. Gradually shift capabilities to newer platforms over time

This approach allows South African companies to modernise while:

  • Maintaining ERP system-of-record stability
  • Reducing custom code inside ERP (moving towards a clean core)[2]
  • Delivering faster wins for business stakeholders

2. SaaS-to-on-prem and hybrid ERP integrations

Many South African businesses now run cloud CRM and analytics, but still rely on on-prem ERP. Twala was built for exactly this SaaS-to-on-prem integration use case, using secure hybrid agents that respect firewalls and data sovereignty requirements.[1]

Typical scenarios for Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects include:

  • Syncing customer and sales data between MahalaCRM and an on-prem ERP for unified customer views
  • Automating journal entries from point-of-sale or billing systems into ERP
  • Streaming transaction data into cloud analytics or AI engines for real-time reporting

By centralising these integrations on Twala, you reduce brittle point-to-point connections and gain a clear path from legacy to modern architectures.[1][5]

3. Workflow automation – a top searched priority in 2025

According to Twala Tech, workflow automation has emerged as a trending priority for South African organisations in 2025, especially in finance, operations, and supply chain.[5] Instead of waiting for a full ERP upgrade, Twala lets teams automate:

  • Approval workflows (purchase orders, expenses, vendor onboarding)
  • Data validation and enrichment before posting to ERP
  • Notifications, escalations, and exception handling around ERP processes

With Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects, you can build these flows visually, with little to no code, and orchestrate them across ERP, CRM, and other systems.[1][5]

4. Observability and visual logging for mission-critical ERP flows

ERP integrations are often “black boxes” – when something fails, it is difficult to know whether the issue is in the ERP, network, or an external system. Twala introduces:

  • Enterprise-grade observability across integration pipelines[1]
  • Visual logging for step-by-step traceability of data flows[1]
  • Alerting so IT teams can fix issues before they impact month-end or payroll[1]

This observability is particularly important in Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects, where hybrid and transitional architectures can become complex quickly.

5. Local compliance, localisation, and support

Modern ERP strategies in South Africa now demand a “glocal” mindset: globally capable, but deeply local.[2] Twala is designed and supported locally, giving organisations:

  • Integration patterns aligned with POPIA and local data residency expectations[1]
  • Awareness of SARS, B-BBEE, and local reporting requirements that impact ERP data flows[2]
  • On-the-ground support teams who understand South African infrastructure and business realities[1][5]

Example architecture: Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects

The simplified diagram below illustrates how a South African company can use Twala to modernise an on-prem ERP by integrating it with MahalaCRM and a cloud analytics platform.


+-------------------------+        +-----------------------+
|  MahalaCRM (Cloud CRM) |        |  Cloud Analytics / BI |
+-----------+-------------+        +-----------+-----------+
            |                                  ^
            v                                  |
      +-----+----------------------------------+-----+
      |               Twala iPaaS                    |
      |  - SaaS-to-on-prem connectors                |
      |  - Workflow automation                       |
      |  - Observability & alerting                  |
      +-----+----------------------------+-----------+
            |                            ^
            v                            |
+-----------+-------------+      +-------+--------+
|  Legacy On-Prem ERP     |      |  Other Systems |
|  (Finance, SCM, HR)     |      |  (Payroll, DMS)|
+-------------------------+      +----------------+

With this pattern, Twala for legacy ERP modernization projects becomes the control plane for integration and automation, allowing you to:

  • Replace legacy components progressively
  • Keep ERP as system of record while modernising user experiences and surrounding apps<