South Africa has an embassy in Bern and a general consulate in Geneva.

Switzerland did not participate in the United Nations-led boycott of apartheid South Africa, though it did observe the arms-embargo.

As a result, in 2002 Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse faced a $50 billion lawsuit in the United States.

South African human rights lawyer Dumisa Ntsebeza also coordinated the suit.

A Swiss-government funded study authored by Historian Peter Hug revealed in 2005 that Swiss company Sulzer AG provided parts used in South African nuclear weapon-related uranium enrichment, providing necessary fissile material during the 1970s.