By Sibusiso Mboto
Pietermaritzburg Bureau
A former top KwaZulu-Natal public servant was gunned down at the weekend as he came to his wife's rescue from armed robbers who entered their farm home near Howick.
Warwick Dorning, 55, the former chief of staff in Premier Zweli Mkhize's office, had recently retired to take up farming.
Government officials and political parties lamented his murder as a sad loss for KwaZulu-Natal.
'A kind and good man has been wantonly killed'
Police said two gunmen had confronted Dorning's wife, Dawn, in their bedroom on the farm Adamshurst, at about 8pm on Saturday.
Dorning rushed to her aid but was shot in the head.
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Relatives living next door heard the gunshot and phoned the house, which is believed to have disturbed the gunmen, who then ran off with a DSTV decoder, two cellphones and a video player. Dawn was unhurt in the incident.
Family friend and former provincial cabinet member Peter Miller said the killing was probably the work of robbers who might have been observing movements at the house.
According to Miller, Dorning and his wife had developed and expanded an indigenous nursery and were looking forward to managing a thriving business, providing employment to many, while Dorning, using his writing skills, intended to continue writing speeches and research material on a contract basis.
"A kind and good man has been wantonly killed when he still had so much to offer," he said.
Dorning had served the KZN government in various capacities for many years, including as general manager for inter-government relations in the provincial Treasury and as head of ministry in Mkhize's office when he was the finance and economic development MEC.
He was appointed chief of staff in the office of the premier soon after Mkhize's inauguration as premier.
"Dr Dorning was a trusted official and his sterling work is well documented.
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