DURBAN - The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and lawyers representing Edward Zuma have reached a settlement over hate speech charges against the former president's son.

Last year, Zuma penned an open letter in which he called then former ministers Pravin Gordhan and Derek Hanekom "askaris" and "defenders of white monopoly capital."

The two have since been reappointed to Cabinet.

Shortly after the letter was released, the commission took the matter to the equality court describing Zuma's comments as promoting hatred on the basis of race.

In his open letter last April, Zuma described Hanekom as a “white Afrikaner askari” who is “no better than a vile dog that has been trained to maul black skin.”

Zuma lashed out at Gordhan, describing him as “one of the most corrupt cadres of the ANC who thinks African natives are no better than sugar cane cutters who must be subservient to a master like him.”

The former president’s son has since apologised after the KwaZulu-Natal ANC forced him to do so.

But Zuma has also been ordered to apologise unconditionally to the nation for comments he made in the open letter.

As a part of the remedial action, Zuma will have to pen an apology to South Africans within the next seven days which will be forwarded to theSAHRC’s offices in Durban.

On Tuesday, after several court appearances, Magistrate Irfan Khalil ordered Zuma to split the settlement fee of R60,000 and between Umthombo Secondary School in Howick and Ohlange High School in Inanda.

The payments are due in June and November this year.

#EdwardZuma is here at the Equality Court this morning to hate speech charges brought against him by the SA Human Rights commission for his open letter last year. Zuma had described Derek Hanekom and Pravin Gordhan as “askari’s” and “stooges of white monopoly capital” ZN

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 22, 2018

#EdwardZuma also described Hanekom as a “white Afrikaner Askari” and “no better than a vile dog trained to maul a black skin”. ZN

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 22, 2018

#EdwardZuma The amount that has been settled on is R60 000. The lawyer representing SAHRC Pavershree Padayachee says they would like the payment to be made to a poor school in Howick. Zuma’s lawyer Ayanda Mkhwanazi says they had planned to donate to Ohlange High School in Inanda.

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 22, 2018