A group of protesters gathered outside the East London Magistrates Court on Monday to demand that no bail be granted to the alleged killer of Zoleka Putye.
Putye was attending worship practice at the Christian Centre in Abbotsford last Thursday when she was approached by a gunman as she walking to her car.
According to reports Putye was shot several times as she fled from her vehicle.
Police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala confirmed that Putye's husband was arrested for her murder but by Sunday he was released due to insufficient evidence.
She said the investigation is ongoing.
A Church elder at Christian Centre, Wynand du Plessis said Putye passed away from her injuries a few hours later at a private hospital in East London.
The dozens of women who rocked up at court were left disappointed when they learned that there was nobody appearing for Putye's murder.
Farida Myburgh, the manager of Masimanyane, a women's rights organisation, said it was a travesty of justice and something they will not let go.
"The entire weekend we rallied people, we signed a petition expecting to oppose his bail and then we are told the arrested suspect is not even in court. We are all deflated."
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Myburgh said Masimanyane has an office inside the court and that they have a record of a protection order having been issued against her husband.
"We are also working on issuing a protection order for the kids and we will be supporting the family by also providing counselling," she said.
Meanwhile, Advocate Mike Maseti, who is representing Putye's three children said it was quite disturbing to hear that the husband had been released before appearing in court.
He spoke to Algoa FM News outside the East London Magistrates Court stating that he was instructed to be at court to look after the interest of the children.
Maseti said the Putye couple was in the midst of an acrimonious divorce.
"We were ready to proceed, I was ready to lead the director of Bate Chubb and Dickson Attorneys to paint out a picture of the state of their divorce which was acrimonious."
"Their divorce proceeding started in 2022," he said
Advocate Maseti further revealed that the Putye's owned two homes in East London, one in Beacon Bay and another in the Cambridge area adding that the husband worked for the Buffalo City Metro (BCM), while the victim was employed with the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements.
When Algoa FM News approached BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya he stated that they were not aware of the matter as it did not occur in the workplace.
The investigation is ongoing.
