VRVhutshilo Roberts
Payroll Manager
Food and beverage
South AfricaPretoria201 to 500 employees
South AfricaPretoria201 to 500 employees4.0
342 verified reviews
Every published review of Sage Pastel Payroll, unedited beyond length and clarity. Vendor responses are shown alongside the review they answer.
342 reviews match · page 17 of 35
VRVhutshilo Roberts
Payroll Manager
South AfricaPretoria201 to 500 employeesWe switched after our previous provider got an ETI calculation wrong. Strong multi company handling for practices. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. If you are weighing it up, do the trial with your own data and you will see it.
What works
Runs locally, so month end is not a connectivity risk. ETI is calculated on the sliding scale and shows its working. Support answers in South African hours and understands the question.
What does not
The interface takes a while for a new administrator.
KRKatlego Roberts
Wages Clerk
South AfricaKimberley500 plus employeesWe switched after our previous provider got an ETI calculation wrong. The largest pool of trained operators in the country. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. Nothing has come up in the last year that I would call a real problem. Two years in and nobody has suggested we look at alternatives.
What works
The largest pool of trained operators in the country. BCEA leave accruals are right without configuration. Employee self service cut payslip queries almost to zero.
What does not
The interface takes a while for a new administrator.
JPJohan PillayVerified
HR and Payroll Manager
South AfricaMidrand500 plus employeesI have run payroll on four different systems and this is the one I would choose again. Runs locally, so month end is not a connectivity risk. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. Two years in and nobody has suggested we look at alternatives.
What works
Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. Support answers in South African hours and understands the question. IRP5 files validated in e@syFile without a single rejection.
What does not
Reporting outside the statutory pack is thin.
BNBuhle NkunaVerified
Senior Bookkeeper
South AfricaPretoria2 to 10 employeesI have run payroll on four different systems and this is the one I would choose again. Runs locally, so month end is not a connectivity risk. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. Nothing has come up in the last year that I would call a real problem. Worth the migration effort, which is not something I say often.
What works
Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. Support answers in South African hours and understands the question. IRP5 files validated in e@syFile without a single rejection.
What does not
There is no real HR functionality, so we run a second system.
CRClaire ReddyVerified
Financial Manager
ZimbabweZimbabwe11 to 50 employeesThe tax year end is what convinced me. Nothing broke. The largest pool of trained operators in the country. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. It is not perfect, and it is the right choice for us.
What works
Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. IRP5 files validated in e@syFile without a single rejection. BCEA leave accruals are right without configuration.
What does not
There is no real HR functionality, so we run a second system.
ABAshwin BennettVerified
Payroll and Benefits Officer
South AfricaRandburg201 to 500 employeesI have run payroll on four different systems and this is the one I would choose again. Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. If you are weighing it up, do the trial with your own data and you will see it.
What works
The largest pool of trained operators in the country. IRP5 files validated in e@syFile without a single rejection. Employee self service cut payslip queries almost to zero.
What does not
Reporting outside the statutory pack is thin.
NMNonhlanhla MoodleyVerified
Chief Executive Officer
South AfricaBloemfontein2 to 10 employeesCompliance side is solid, the day to day is more of a slog than it should be. The largest pool of trained operators in the country. Beyond that it is more ordinary than the marketing suggests. It sits squarely in the middle for us, useful but not something I would champion. I would shortlist it, not necessarily pick it.
What works
Strong multi company handling for practices. Setup was straightforward.
What does not
The reporting cannot break cost down by department. No bargaining council support.
Response from the vendor15 Sept 2025
Thank you for the detailed feedback. Our product team has logged the reporting limitations you describe and improvements are on the roadmap for this year. Please contact our support team so we can look at your specific configuration.
PNPriya NaidooVerified
Payroll and Benefits Officer
South AfricaRichards Bay500 plus employeesWe use maybe sixty percent of what we pay for. Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. Beyond that it is more ordinary than the marketing suggests. It sits squarely in the middle for us, useful but not something I would champion. It is a reasonable choice, provided you know what it does not do.
What works
Strong multi company handling for practices. Setup was straightforward.
What does not
Support queues get long towards month end. No bargaining council support.
MBMichael BennettVerified
Partner
South AfricaKimberley500 plus employeesWe had to rebuild two EMP501 submissions by hand. In practice, the parts we were sold on never worked the way they were demonstrated. It has cost us more time than it has saved. Test it hard during the trial with real volume before committing.
What works
It is cheaper than the alternatives.
What does not
ETI required manual correction for months. The March year end process was poorly documented. Leave accruals did not follow BCEA rules.
PZPriya ZwaneVerified
Chief Operating Officer
South AfricaBloemfontein11 to 50 employeesWe use maybe sixty percent of what we pay for. The largest pool of trained operators in the country. Beyond that it is more ordinary than the marketing suggests. It sits squarely in the middle for us, useful but not something I would champion. Good value, with some real rough edges.
What works
Strong multi company handling for practices. Setup was straightforward.
What does not
The reporting cannot break cost down by department. No bargaining council support.
Response from the vendor29 Aug 2025
Thank you for the feedback and for being a customer. We have shared your comments on the mobile experience with our product team, and a redesigned application is currently in beta.