HRD caters to the HR needs of UNI staff. HRD is divided into four sections, IT, training, appointments and benefits. The appointments section is further divided into three sub-units, catering to the academic, non-academic and administrative staff. Leave matters fall within the benefits section but also straddles the three appointments sub-units.

HCD felt HRD should migrate its legacy systems to SAP in 2001 as part of their grand plan for UNI's migration to SAP. This was bolstered by the fact that HFD was already using SAP and wanted to move their payroll system, which was linked to HRD's Oracle-based personnel administration system, to SAP. HRD agreed and Phase One of the migration was completed in February 2001 with the implementation of the SAP PA system. It took a while for staff to get used to the system, as they found it to be drastically different from their more familiar Oracle system. They, however, understood that it was a necessary process as more SAP modules would follow. As a project team member explained:

When the decision was made to move our main HR system to SAP, it was logical that the rest should follow. They are all so linked together.