AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo visited President Jacob Zuma at his Nkandla residence to apologise for his "recent utterances", the presidency said on Wednesday.

"The king came to apologise to President Zuma and said he had come to 'humble himself before the president as a son to a father' for his recent utterances," said spokesman Mac Maharaj.

Zuma accepted the apology.

Dalindyebo was accompanied by a large delegation from the abaThembu clan.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe, ANC treasurer general Zweli Mkhize and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

"The king gave the President a cow as a sign of his apology, and the President reciprocated by giving the king a cow as well as a sign of accepting the apology," Maharaj said.

Dalindyebo had in recent months called Zuma a "liar" and a "Zulu boy".

In July, Zuma wrote to Dalindyebo asking him to make representations about why his recognition certificate as king should not be withdrawn.

The AbaThembu royal family wrote to Zuma on October 1, 2012 and February 4, 2013 asking him to implement their decision, taken on September 29, 2012, to remove Dalindyebo as king.

After the matter appeared in the Eastern Cape High Court, Zuma decided not to consider the request by the AbaThembu Royal family to withdraw Dalindyebo's certificate.