POLL | Should Longwe Twala take the stand at the Meyiwa murder ...

Senzo Meyiwa murder trial defence counsel advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, who is representing Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, opened a can of worms on Monday when he suggested evidence was “cooked up”.

Mngomezulu alleged the shooter was not among the five men on trial, saying Meyiwa was killed when a shot was fired from a gun owned by Longwe Twala.

In his alternative scenario, Mngomezulu suggested Meyiwa was killed when a shot was fired from Twala's gun during an argument with his then-girlfriend Zandile Khumalo. Twala was in the Vosloorus house where the footballer died in October 2014, with the Khumalo sisters, their mother and two of Meyiwa's friends.

Mngomezulu said some witnesses had described the murder weapon as a revolver, contrary to the expert witness testifying Meyiwa was shot with a 9mm pistol.

“That evidence is part of the cooking of this case. [Ballistics expert Chris] Mangena and the rest, they all cooked this evidence in this investigation. They know who they were protecting, it's a cover-up. Everything is a cover-up here,” he said.

Sgt Batho Mogola, who was part of the team that investigated Meyiwa's murder, took offence to this, saying: “I view that as an insult when you say we have cooked [up the evidence].

“We are not bored to cook something up and present it before the court, that will mean South Africa is something else in justice. We are here in this court for the evidence we have to be tried. It's not for your judgment to say the evidence has been cooked.”