SALT SANA: WHEN A SLOGAN BECOMES THE PROBLEM
By Elias Kamanga
The UPND’s favourite response to virtually every criticism these days is a simple two-word slogan:
“Salt Sana!”
“Salt Sana!”
Complain about poverty? Salt Sana.
Talk about bad roads? Salt Sana.
Mention unemployment? Salt Sana.
Question broken promises? Salt Sana.
Point out load-shedding? Salt Sana.
Ask where the jobs are? Salt Sana.
At this point, if a meteor landed in Cairo Road, someone would probably rush to the scene and declare: “Salt Sana!”
The slogan is repeated with such enthusiasm that one begins to wonder whether anyone in the party stopped to think about what it actually means.
Because taken literally, Salt Sana means too much salt.
Because taken literally, Salt Sana means too much salt.
And in every known civilisation, too much salt is generally considered a problem, not an achievement.
Salt is supposed to improve a meal.
Too much salt destroys it.
A meal can have the finest beef, the freshest vegetables and the best cook in town. But once the salt gets out of hand, the entire pot is condemned.
Nobody says:
“Wow! This food is completely inedible. Please add more salt.”
Yet somehow, UPND has built a political philosophy around exactly that idea.
The more citizens complain, the more salt they prescribe.The more problems emerge, the more salt they sprinkle.
The result is that what started as a slogan is beginning to sound like a diagnosis. Zambians are no longer interested in political seasoning.
The more citizens complain, the more salt they prescribe. The more problems emerge, the more salt they sprinkle.
The result is that what started as a slogan is beginning to sound like a diagnosis. Zambians are no longer interested in political seasoning.
They are looking for actual food.
After all, when a citizen asks why they are struggling to afford basic necessities, they are not asking for salt.
When a farmer wants a road fixed, he is not asking for salt.
When a graduate is looking for work, she is not applying for salt.
When a business is collapsing under costs, the solution is rarely additional salt
When a business is collapsing under costs, the solution is rarely additional salt.
Even worse, in many traditional communities, a man with an unusual obsession for excessive salt attracts more questions than admiration. People begin wondering whether everything is functioning as it should.
Which makes it an even stranger slogan to market aggressively across the country. Political strategists usually spend millions testing slogans before elections.
Which makes it an even stranger slogan to market aggressively across the country. Political strategists usually spend millions testing slogans before elections.
Most try to communicate hope, prosperity, unity or development.
Only in Zambia could someone look at a national campaign and conclude:
“You know what voters need? More salt.”
It is the political equivalent of a student writing “etcetera” on every examination answer sheet and hoping the examiner fills in the rest.
Unfortunately, voters are not examiners. They want answers.
And elections are rarely won by the party with the loudest slogan.They are won by the party with the most convincing solutions.
Brian Mundubile, President Hakainde Hichilema’s fiercest contender, seems to have seized the opportunity to expose how salty the UPND and its campaign have become, and the voters seem to understand his message.
As 2026 approaches, the danger for UPND is that Zambians may eventually conclude that the country has had enough seasoning and would now like to see the actual meal.
Because while a little salt can improve the taste of food, too much of it sends the entire dish straight into the bin.
And that, ironically, is the hidden danger of a slogan called Salt Sana.
SALT SANA: WHEN A SLOGAN BECOMES THE PROBLEM
