The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is a government-owned development finance body providing and encouraging financial and non-financial investments in a range of sectors.

A team of four lawyers, led by legal unit manager Zukiswa Sithole, services DBSA’s portfolio of investments and is regularly involved in large-scale transactions ranging from municipal bulk water and electricity infrastructure projects to big ICT and infrastructure deals. As Sithole comments, ‘getting a relatively small team to handle large-scale projects, that at times may come in droves, both efficiently and effectively has been a challenge, but it has allowed the team to be stretched and upskilled in different areas of expertise’.

The team has also responded to regulatory changes relating to reduced fuel refunds offered to those lending to peaking power plants, helping to ensure DBSA is able to continue operating effectively in the sector. This responsiveness, says Sithole, is at the heart of everything the legal team does: ‘If something is working, we make it work even better; if something is not working, we adjust and adapt it to our environment’.