FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES
Date: 23 June 2025
MEC MAILE LAUNCHES GAUTENG’S FIRST MUNICIPAL ECONOMIC REVIEW AND OUTLOOK REPORT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ERNST & YOUNG
On the 23rd of June 2025, the Gauteng MEC of Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, launched the province’s first-ever Municipal Economic Review and Outlook (MERO) report at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the biggest stock exchange on the African continent. The MERO report, a partnership between the Gauteng Provincial Government and Ernst & Young — a multinational professional services firm and one of the "Big Four" accounting firms globally — is an important instrument for Gauteng’s short-term, medium-term and long-term developmental vision.
Using methodological triangulation that combines both qualitative and quantitative data, and several advanced data-collection methods, the MERO report provides a comprehensive analysis and projection of socio-economic conditions and trends among municipalities in Gauteng. While economic and political economy analysis of the province has existed, this is the first such comprehensive review of all municipalities at this scale.
A key finding of the report is the necessity for data-driven decision making at a local government level. Targeted and relevant data allows municipalities to identify and leverage opportunities (such as high-performing sectors, service delivery improvements, infrastructure, and investments) while addressing weaknesses and risks through specific interventions.
The MERO’s utility extends across planning, policy-making, and budgeting, providing a critical status update aligned with the Grow Gauteng Together 2030 (GGT2030) strategy, which prioritises transformation, modernisation, and reindustrialisation of the Gauteng economy.
The MERO benefits not only Gauteng but other government institutions such as the South African Revenue Service (SARS), contributing to the SARS Spatial Tax dataset. This data enables deeper understanding of economic trends and provides a foundation for targeted national economic interventions.
In addition to macroeconomic insights and municipal-level job statistics, the MERO covers socio-economic indicators affecting residents, including population dynamics, poverty, inequality, unemployment, health, education, access to housing, and crime — all of which are vital for informed public and private sector strategies.
This report reflects the Gauteng Provincial Government’s commitment to fostering inclusive growth through strategic collaboration with the private sector, academia, and civil society. Its partnership with Ernst & Young is a testament to this goal.
Private sector stakeholders are vital to economic development and must actively engage with provincial and local initiatives to realise shared prosperity, innovation, and a sustainable African development agenda.
The launch of Gauteng’s first MERO report is a landmark event in municipal planning and evidence-based governance. MEC Maile concluded:
“Municipalities are crucial in South Africa for providing essential services, fostering economic development, and ensuring democratic governance at the local level. They are the first point of contact for citizens regarding service delivery and local governance issues. For municipalities to plan and budget efficiently, credible data such as that provided by the MERO report must be available. We must continue to build stronger and better communities in Gauteng, and to do so hand-in-hand with all sectors. Just as challenges that we confront affect us all, so too does shared prosperity benefit us all.”
ENDS
Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Treasury
Contact: Castro Ngobese, Spokesperson for the MEC of Finance and Economic Development
Email: castro.ngobese@gauteng.gov.za
Mobile: +27 60 997 7790
For media releases, speeches and news, visit: www.gauteng.gov.za
