Senior Associate, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

Thirty-year-old Bridgett Majola says she has found her niche in development – both in terms of facilitating renewable energy projects and in helping youngsters achieve their full potential.

Majola, senior associate at DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr in the finance and banking department specialising in project finance, is passionate about her work in the renewable energy field.

With a LLB degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a Certificate in Competition Law from the University of the Witwatersrand and currently enrolled for a higher diploma in tax law at the University of Johannesburg, Majola started her law career handling corporate business and mergers and acquisitions.

However, her move to work on the financing of energy projects has proven to be where her passion lies.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to be learning so much about this field,” she says. “Not only because it plays an important role in the government’s national development plan, but also because once a project is implemented, it is gratifying to see a tangible outcome of the work I’ve contributed to, and see that it makes a difference.”

Majola says her work delivers the variety she enjoys: “You can be part of the drafting and implementing of agreements necessary for the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of renewable energy generation facilities in South Africa, which means that you have to get to grips with the technical and financial aspects of it, and there are challenging negotiations. I love this environment.”

Development is an ongoing theme for Majola, who spends much of her spare time mentoring youngsters in business and participating in community projects. She has also attended and spoken at a number of international youth conferences, including the International Conference on Human Rights in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the World Urban Forum in Barcelona, Spain, as a special youth advisor to Anna Tibaijuka, executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

“I suppose I’ve always been a builder. The synergies between my work and after-hours life might be that I’m trying to make a difference, be an influence and leave my mark – at work and socially,” she says.
— Tracy Burrows