President of the ANC, cde Thabo Mbeki, said he was surprised to hear from the front page of the Sowetan’s Tuesday edition, that he had snubbed the Cosatu Congress by not addressing delegates on the opening day as he had promised.No doubt the delegates knew that the article is pregnant with lies. For he and the Deputy President were in Tanzania to broker peace with the Burundian forces who have resumed hostilities. They knew too that Cde Terror Lekota read the President’s speech on his behalf. He questioned the intentions of those who came with the story. “These people wanted us to be enemies,” he said, and to bring divisions within the Alliance partners. They did not know that “we have been allies even before Cosatu was formed”.He explained to the delegates how important their mission was and that Cosatu had in no uncertain terms approved and supported them in their mission. “No other African should die again,” he told delegates. So far more than 300,000 Africans have died in Burundi.Turning to the alliance, he told delegates that the ANC wanted a “strong Cosatu” with strong affiliates. On strengthening the Alliance he pointed out that the task of the three General Secretaries was to make the Alliance become strong and vibrant.The President finally assured delegates that “there would be no resumption of war in Burundi”. SA has an important role to play in the continent as there are gigantic challenges in order for the African Renaissance to succeed.