Child mortality remains a huge challenge in South Africa. Although there have been
numerous national level child mortality studies, few studies have focused on child
mortality and its determinants at sub-national levels. This paper uses data collected
from the 2007 Community Survey to investigate district level variations in under-five
mortality rate (U5MR) in South Africa. Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis techniques
are used to examine the spatial structure and distribution of U5MR, and spatial
regression models employed to explore the relationships between U5MR and a set of
predictors. Models are compared and the benefits of spatial data analysis in targeted
child mortality reduction are discussed.