ANC allies Cosatu and the South African Communist Party (SACP) have stressed the importance of newly elected President Cyril Ramaphosa consulting them as well as the leadership of the governing party ahead of his expected cabinet reshuffle.

Business Day understands that while the cabinet reshuffle is on the cards, Ramaphosa does not want to rush it and was also determined to "consult widely" on his appointments.

This could mean that Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba will be delivering the Budget speech on Wednesday after all.

Ramaphosa, in his state of the nation address on Friday, gave the clearest indication yet that he was set to shake up the Cabinet as well as reconfigure government departments.

His predecessor, Jacob Zuma, was heavily criticised for the cabinet reshuffles he undertook in the last three years of his second term without consulting the ANC’s senior officials or the alliance partners.

This story first appeared on Business Day