The International Cricket Council (ICC) under its Code of Conduct charged Gibbs following the incident.

"Gibbs has been charged under Level 3.3 of the Code which prohibits using '...any language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person's race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethic origin'," ICC said here.

If found guilty of a Level 3 offence, Gibbs faces a ban of between two and four Test matches or between four and eight one-day internationals.

Gibbs made the remarks about a section of Pakistani supporters that were transmitted to television viewers through a stump microphone during the fourth day of the first Test at SuperSport Park Sunday.

Gibbs was heard saying Pakistani supporters were behaving "like bloody animals" and something should be done about the "f****** Pakistanis".

ICC chief executive officer Malcolm Speed laid the charge.

The hearing, to be conducted by Chris Broad, a member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, is expected to take place after play concludes on the final day of the Test Monday.

"The ICC Code of Conduct hearing is not connected with the disciplinary hearing into the same incident announced by the South Africa cricket board Monday," said the ICC statement.

Earlier Monday, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that Gibbs would appear before its disciplinary committee.

"CSA has investigated the matter, and we have heard the remarks made by Herschelle Gibbs in response to verbal abuse directed by a number of Pakistan supporters at Paul Harris while he was fielding on the boundary," CSA CEO Gerald Majola said in a statement in South Africa.

"Herschelle says these remarks were for the ears only of his teammates in his proximity, and were directed in general terms at that section of the crowd that had verbally abused Paul Harris. He has apologised if he has caused offence to anyone."