The reparation lawsuits carried out by individual South Africans against certain corporations in Switzerland will not strain sound relationships enjoyed by the two countries, says Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Minister Dlamini-Zuma spoke after a meeting with her Swiss counterpart Michelene Calmy-Rey in Pretoria yesterday.

The minister said the litigation would not affect relations between Pretoria and Zurich since it was not carried out by one country against the other.

"It is something that is led by citizens, and, of course, we are both democrats and we believe that people have democratic rights that they can exercise," she said, adding that in this case, government disagreed with those pursuing the lawsuit.

A group of South Africans led by American corporate affairs lawyer Ed Fagan are pursuing lawsuits against Swiss corporations, accusing them of profiteering under the apartheid regime.

Dlamini-Zuma said government's position on the issue was 'very different' from that of the group.

"We think business can play a very important role in the reconstruction of South Africa and therefore that they must be prepared to put their energies into development," she explained.

She added that the reparation issue was difficult for government as "there probably would be no South African family, especially amongst the black families, that can say: we were never affected by apartheid".

Minister Calmy-Rey said the Swiss and the South African governments shared the same sentiment with regard to the extra-territorial application of law. –BuaNews.