This study constitutes the second step in analysis of educator data in KwaZulu Natal, as part of an on-going research agenda, following the development of an educator demand model (described below) and linked to the development of a monthly data collection system (DEMMIS). The purpose of the study is to attempt to answer several important questions in the context of education planning in a high prevalence environment in the HIV/AIDS era, specifically: How important is educator mortality and attrition in the face of declining enrolment? What is the current rate of educator mortality in-service in the KwaZulu Natal (KZN) education system, by gender and age? What trends can be observed in the data? How much will the projected rate of attrition increase the demand for new educators? What implications will this have for teaching and learning? The objective of the study therefore was to attempt to benchmark the mortality rate amongst educators in-service in KZN in order to inform future educator demand and supply planning and modelling.