Winners of Spur’s Disney holiday competition are all white

Posted on September 21st, 2007 by Richard Catto 4,769 views

The Winners of Spur’s competition that I previously wrote about here have been published. They are:

Mrs Ethel Lues
Mrs Marieta Hanekom
Mrs Hannelie Engelbrecht
Mrs Hester Lourens

Does anything about this list of winners strike you as odd?

I mean, they’re all woman, presumably married, for starters. Three of the four have unambiguously Afrikaans names, but it’s possible that all four women are white Afrikaners.

Were the prizes randomly drawn or did Spur decide to allocate them to patrons as they saw fit?

I’m not sure how it’s possible to randomly draw four white people to win all your prizes. I mean, I presume that people of colour entered Spur’s competition.

It’s a troubling result. I wonder if Spur is prepared to tell us how they arrived at their list of winners?

Filed under Holiday Adventure, Spur Steak Ranches, all white winners |

29 Responses to “Winners of Spur’s Disney holiday competition are all white”

1. Richard Catto Says:
   September 21st, 2007 at 07:32

   So, bottom line, is Spur a racist restaurant chain? What do you think?

2. Guy McLaren Says:
   September 21st, 2007 at 08:41

   Richard, Without all the facts you cannot draw conclusions. How many people entered and where did the draw take place?

   I held a competition in a newspaper a year or so back. From 20 000 papers we had three entries. All from Afrikaans speaking ladies. So my question is Did people not enter purely because they had already decided they stood no chance. In this era of instant gratification did people not fill in the entries because they actually had to use a pen?

   Did you ask Spur any of the questions you are asking here?

3. Richard Catto Says:
   September 21st, 2007 at 11:43

   Guy, if the majority of competition entrants to Spur’s competition were mainly married white Afrikaans ladies, then that would tend to show how non-inclusive the competition was in the first place, don’t you think?

   That was the thrust of my original article. I basically said that only rich whiteys could collect the main prize, and what do you know, we have a list of rich whitey winners.

4. Roger Says:
   September 22nd, 2007 at 19:06

   Richard the adverts were surely available to everyone, now should Spur have forced more white males, black, coloureds etc to enter the competition? This is not Zimbabwe, people choose to enter a competition or not. Its their choice. What next? Do you want to complain that there were no Muslim winners at the Dutch Reform Church Bazaar down the road?

5. Richard Catto Says:
   September 22nd, 2007 at 19:42

   Roger, I’m saying that I doubt that mainly married Afrikaans women entered their competition.

   Statistically speaking, the normal distribution should describe the entrants and the winners. South Africa’s population demographics should fairly closely resemble Spur’s diners and competition entrants. Therefore one could expect to have more people of colour in the running and therefore it would be statistically unlikely to draw only white married Afrikaans females as winners.

   Did you ever study statistics? I did. I got a first.

6. esvl Says:
   September 22nd, 2007 at 22:58

   Now I am hungry. Wasnt thinking of food until I started thinking of a nice burger.
   Thanks for that.

7. Richard Catto Says:
   September 22nd, 2007 at 23:08

   Esvl, thinking of Spur makes you think of mouth watering flame grilled cheesy burgers?

   What a queer idea. Never thought of Spur in that light.

   Now Steers otoh…

8. Ceeps Says:
   September 26th, 2007 at 12:20

   It just sounds like you have a personal issue with Spur. If you are going to target winners of competitions then have a look at the Edgars Magazine – most of their winners are black ladies. Is that also a sign of discrimination?
   Maybe it’s time you got off your soap box and go have a burger – whether it’s at Steers, Spur, Dros or Wimpy – who cares!

9. Richard Catto Says:
   September 26th, 2007 at 12:32

   Ceeps, you work for Spur and you dishonestly refuse to disclose that.

   Everything you wrote is disingenuous. I don’t have to have a personal issue with Spur to write a follow up to my original story. That’s what good journalists / bloggers do.

   Fact is, I EXPECT most of the winners of a PUBLIC competition to be BLACK, because that is in keeping with the population DEMOGRAPHICS of South Africa. 80% of South Africans are BLACK.

   The fact that Spur has all WHITE winners shows that there is a high likelihood that Spur is a racist company. They were racist and discriminatory firstly, for choosing a holiday in the United States as a prize, knowing that most of their patrons would not qualify for a US tourist visa. Secondly they were racist and discriminatory for then selectively picking WHITE winners and throwing away all the BLACK entrants.

   That’s what I think happened. It is up to Spur to prove (by using an external auditor) that their competition was not RIGGED.

10. Jacques Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 15:24

    Viva minority-weenas viva!!! I think it’s because more darkies eat at KFC…

11. Bev Cornwell Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 16:35

    Hi Richard,

    Themba Ndlova, from our Brand Development Department, has confirmed that the winners of the competition were chosen using a computer program that randomly selected cell numbers (not names). Due to the fact that an auditor was present to ensure that all was above board, it was impossible for us to “re-draw” when the cell phone numbers and names were collated.

    Kind Regards
    Bev Cornwell
    Spur Customer Care

12. Kwen Says:
    September 27th, 2007 at 08:10

    How do you know all the winners are white? Coloured people – and even back people occasionall – have “Afrikaans” surnames.

13. Richard Catto Says:
    September 27th, 2007 at 13:44

    Good point, Kwen. Perhaps you are right?

    Perhaps Spur can publish photographs and possibly a video clip of the winners receiving their prizes? Then we can all see (and hear) the winners and decide for ourselves what race group they belong to.

    Spur’s comment above states that the draw was done randomly via a computer program in the presence of an auditor. Perhaps we can get a statement from the Auditor?

    I’d like an explanation also, for how the winners all turned out to be white people. Did only white people enter this competition?

14. enjay Says:
    September 30th, 2007 at 14:17

    If Spur have a racist pro-white policy how can you explain Spur at St Peters Place in Mowbray being Halaal (no drinks served or allowed on the premises) and NO WHITE person present except us.

    I was told while we were there that Spur franchises are going to all be halaal before too long.

    Also:
    1. How can you presume someone is female, married and white by the name. If it is a Mrs one can assume she is a woman but not necessarily married!
    2. Many names are interchangeable. I have a two friends with the name of Lyn – one male one female and same with Andre.
    3. Surnames cannot be presumed to be white so I’d be interested to see the basis for your rasist comments.

    Regards
    Enjay

15. Marmalade Says:
    September 30th, 2007 at 22:06

    Richard, your comments don’t make any sense at all.

    Firstly, Spur diners do NOT represent South African demographics. The cost of a family meal at Spur could feed a rural Transkei family for a month. So obviously white people are more likely to eat at Spur and hence enter their competitions than black families.

    But more worrying is why you are on this anti-Spur mission in the first place.

    Why are you, Richard? Please tell us.

16. Richard Catto Says:
    October 2nd, 2007 at 10:19

    Enjay, your comments about a Spur restaurant having no white diners except yourself essentially makes my point.

    My point, to recap, is that the Spur Steak Ranches chain has diners of ALL races eating at their restaurants. Therefore it is plausible that diners from all the race groups of South Africa would enter Spur’s competition. Since, as you point out, there are MORE black people than white people patronising Spur restaurants, HOW is it then possible that a random draw results in all WHITE winners?

    Until Spur proves that those four winners had amongst them some black faces, I’m going to conservatively assume, by their names, that they are all WHITE people.

    Spur has already commented in this thread and did not deny my assertion that all the winners were white. They’re free to do that at any time.

17. Richard Catto Says:
    October 2nd, 2007 at 10:25

    (Lady) Marmalade aka Belinda aka caroline@24.com, I have already informed you that you are not welcome to participate in this blog, because of your past bad behaviour here.

    That you post in bad faith is confirmed by the fact that you chose to connect to this site via an open proxy server located in India. But I traced you anyway.

    Do not make the mistake of thinking I am a fool to be fooled.

18. Neil Ovens Says:
    October 18th, 2007 at 18:57

    Hi Richard – quick question – what race are you?

    Neil

19. Richard Catto Says:
    October 18th, 2007 at 19:11

    I have a picture of myself on this site. It shows that I am white. My race is irrelevant.

20. [WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS] The trouble with white South Africans is … | Cape Town news Says:
    October 24th, 2007 at 05:52

    [...] ask me, like white South African racist Neil Ovens did, "what race are you?" because my race is completely [...]

21. [FOLLOWUP] Why I wrote my “bad to the bone racist scum” white South African article | Cape Town news Says:
    October 25th, 2007 at 09:48

    [...] it does white people any good to be seen to be favoured over other races. That’s why when Spur has a competition and all the winners are white, that fuels dissatisfaction amongst black [...]

22. Ethel Lues Says:
    October 28th, 2007 at 14:35

    Dear Readers and Cape Town News
    It is with Great dissapointment that I read about myself on this site, WOW, if i had not given in to my daughters request to please search on google for our family name which is not a usual name, i would not have come accros this site and commends about the winners of Spur Disney Adventure!! I urge all your readers to please read and scroll through my website and deside for themselves whether their opinions and judgement were correct. Although I am a Afrikaans speaking married woman, I have had my share of pain and rejection, but never the less kept on walking in faith and sharing skills and fortune with previously disadvantaged citizens of my country. I have never taken part in any compettion, loto or lucky draws, because God is my provider and I do not bow to any false god of luck or fortune. Two weeks before the closing time of the competition me and my family went for dinner at Spur, not even knowing about the competition, the waiter brough us some entry forms which the kids immediately reacted on by sending away the sms with the hope of winning, They urged me to also send away one sms on their behalf mentioning that mine will be the winner because God will allow it to be. I replied that I will do it under the will of God and I asked God that His will be done and that He know that I am doing it for my kids sake and should He wish to spoil them and us, He may do so. I forgot about the sms when one afternoon I received the call from Beverly the Spur Marketing and Publick relations officer. To make a long story short, NO SPUR DID NOT CHEET ON ANY OF THE DRAWS FOR THE COMP WINNERS,and not wealthy as mentioned by one of the readers and Richard himself, I have lost my full estate in 1998 when legislations changed whilst I was bussy with a SANDF CONTRACT supplying Army and Airforce of Corporate Uniforms and not being paid for good delivered. So please keep your dirty commends to yourselves and let God be the Judge AND DECIDE WHO HE WANT TO REWARD. Also read and scroll through my web site and see how God has answered me on Table mountain on 12 October 2005 exactly at 12 Noon on the position that He commanded me to stand and Pray for our Nation! He has shown a Sign around the sun and this can not be denied by no man. My husband has taken video footage of this and I am sure that God has rewarded my family for the sacrivise.
    I will forward some of the Photos to your News Paper and we have brough along some video footage to share with the nation as past of my documentary and a message of hope to our Nation. Colour has nothing to do with brotherhood, and I recent what my forefathers has done, and I hate the song delaray and the attitute of some of the white youth that keep on walking in the bloody footsteps of their forefathers.
    The Truth will set us FREE!!!!

23. Ethel Lues Says:
    October 28th, 2007 at 19:46

    Dear Readers and Richard Catto
    All the Glory to God for Winning the Spur Disney Competition!

    WOW, it was to as surprise to read about myself as winner of the SPUR Disney Competition on Google, and all the negative responds towards white woman winning the competition. I really think this is selfish and very judgmental, who are you to judge? Listen to my side of the story and read more about myself on my website http://www.citysearch.co.za . I see this winning as a reward from God! As God is my witness, I do not take part in any competitions, I do not have credit and I have suffered for the sake of His Name (Jesus Christ). How did I win this competition?
    We are not regulars of Spur, but treat ourselves once in a while and the kids have their turn to choose the restaurant of their choice. It was at the end of the competition that me and my kids enjoyed a dinner at one of the Spur restaurants, where the waiter brought us some Disney Competition Forms. The kids were very excited and immediately reacted on the sms competition, where after asking me to take part! Believe it or not; I hate competitions! Because God is my only source and He ask of me to not rely on any other god of luck or fortune! BUT after ongoing motivation of my kids telling me that God always answers my prayers and that He will make this attempt true if it is His Will. How could I refuse a statement like this from my kids who had to suffer the consequences of unjustness during 1999 when the Government did not secure payment of his contract and neglect to pay his debt for SANDF Officials Uniforms that my company had designed and delivered? I lost my entire estate due to this negligence, and my family and I had to watch how everything was taken away from us that we had earned through hard labour and honest work!! My kid cried when the auctioneers came and carry out their furniture in their rooms to sell on an auction to make up for bank debts. I have been a excellent client of Volkskas in those days but when tragedy stroke, they just lift their shoulders and said; Oh how unfortunate that this has happened!

    Please Don’t make any assumptions of the family being rich and that they could afford this Disney trip. God chose the right Timing; it was when my husband had resigned at Unisa being fed-up to carry the burden of fore father’s mistakes, that we do not agree with, yes we hate what they have done to human beings. I am a freedom fighter just as Oliver Thambo and many others but in the white contexts to the benefit of all. Even though my family and I had to move from a spacious home that we have bought and renovated through the years to a servant’s courtiers at the back of one of neighbors homes for more than a year, with kids that could not understand where their fairytale rooms has gone, I decided to forgive and do everything in my power to do good and to uplift others so that my wounds also be healed, I knew it was not a patch that I went through of the previous oppression that some of my brothers had to endure during the apartheids era. God had woken me one night after I have cried myself to sleep and said that for the sake of His love to all Nations He wants me to endure the pain, but He will reward me in due time! It has been seven years that I had to work myself up and walk in faith and love. I had to change direction from Fashion Designer and Corporate Clothing Manufacturer to Corporate Business Consultant and owner of a National Education College who offers accredited and International courses where I could share my skill and knowledge to those previous disadvantaged. So please before you make any commends about color and gender, think twice of the WHITE freedom fighters, NOT BEING FAMOUS FOR THEIRE ACTIONS but trying to make a difference in their own simple way!

    Prayer before sending SMS.
    When my kids kept on nagging me to send the sms, I said that I will do it under God’s Protection and His will for us!

    I placed my cell phone in my hand and asked the kids to place there hands on top, I prayed and asked God that He is the giver and creator of all Good things and that He know Why I am taking part in this competition, that it is not my dream but the dream of my kids and that He know what they had to endure, knights without food and NOT understanding why thy had to move from the comfort of their lovely room to a scruffy place filled with mice and ants, and I pressed the button to send the SMS.

    Do you not believe that God would answer a faithful ladies Prayer, of whom her husband has given up hope for this country and emigrates to Australia, whilst she kept on believing in God promise to bring relieve and victory to this country?

    The Disney trip to Orlando was the final Good buy for a family who has been torn apart by faith for our Country South Africa. YOU WANT TO JUDGE AND use ALL kind of strategies of apartheid, color and wealth to question the vitality of the outcome of Spur Competition? IT WAS MY REWARD FROM GOD! And No man can take it away from us! If it was not for my savings we would not have been able to make the trip, but it was a good time for my family to get together again and enjoy each other company. I am not yet convinced in my heart to exit the country and join my husband because God has a mission and message for Africa, I have too much love for my SA people (all Colors) to leave at this time and are the only remaining person of my family. I have no other family apart from a sister and brother, my mother and father has passed away at a very young age. I was born deaf and dumb, was rejected out of twelve schools due to my disability and had to travel through eight boarding schools due to rejections and abuse.

    God has opened my ears and touched my tongue in1990 and said as in Jer 1 that He commissions me to speak His word of live over nations.

    A dream came true!!
    I have taken my kids on a dream adventure to enjoy a holiday of a lifetime before taking them to their father in Australia to live and stay and proceed with their education, whilst I am remaining in South Africa to proceed to make a difference and uplift the people of South Africa, as God has commissioned.

    Please think twice before judging an outcome of anything, it is God that is ultimately in control, if we will just start speaking Live and Victory in South Africa, the evil will flee!!!!

    Blessings in the name of Jesus Christ!
    Ethel Lues (1st prize winner)

    “FIND ATACHED DISNEY PHOTO”

24. Richard Catto Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 07:13

    Well congratulations to you, Ethel.

    However, I am not pleased with your total lack of courtesy and etiquette in your misuse of the facility to comment on my blog.

    You have written two almost identical very lengthy commentaries which are essentially religious tracts.

    This is not a place to promote your religion. This thread has nothing at all to do with religion.

25. Jason Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 14:04

    This chick sounds like that ousie in the “gooi it my bokkie” advertensies. Well done ou gurl, you deserved your trip of a lifetime.

26. Richard Catto Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 14:22

    @Jason: She’s a bloody Boer Christian religious freak!

    I wonder when the penny will drop for Spur and they’ll decide to quit being a whites-only restaurant?

27. Marko Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 21:19

    Richard, theyve already confirmed for you that the results were randomly chosen.
    I don’t know how you can expect the results to be demographically representative when the competition was entered via sms, probably costing several ZAR per sms.
    Isn’t it usually also mostly married women that enter competitions? I don’t see men entering that, ‘wohooo I REALLY wanna go see Mickey Mouse, better enter that!’. I also don’t expect black people are interested in Disney culture.

28. Dave Stedman Says:
    July 20th, 2008 at 10:36

    I followed this thead looking for information on afrikaans holiday schools. What a suprise to read this blog.

    As someone woh has no particular axe to gring I was amazed how peoples comments shift according to the previous couple of blogs!

    When I read thought the blogs the following became apparent:

    - people entered this competition via sms.
    - Spur say the numbers were fed into a computer and the winners drawn.
    - apparently, 4 probably Afrikaans, probably married, possibly white women were the winners.
    - now the pawpaw has hit fan because someone called Richard Catto sees potential racial bias in the outcome. OK, that’s his OPINION.
    - since then one winner has replied and her comments suggest that that she is probably white and afrikaans. So what?
    - Spurs’ clientele are spread across all races. However, how many of the same clientele even BOTHER to enter competitions. I know my wife and married daughter both often enter these competitions. Neither my son-in-law nor I can be bothered. Is there anything sinister in that?
    - Furthermore, would there have been an outcry if all 4 winners were obviously black, males, or from a particular area? I doubt it.
    - In over twelve years of having a cellphone I probably have not entered more than 15 competitions. My wife enters that many in a week.
    - Does this pattern make the competitions white or racist, or biased?
    - As Richard Catto achieved a first in statistics (only passed well in my Stats courses), perhaps he should look at how he got to his answers reached without any statistical data. Are his answers are based on statistics or an opinion. You, the readers of the blog decide.
    - Is his opinion racist? I don’t know the man – nor do I have no knowledge of any of the writers of the postings and am therefore not qualified to comment. Nor do I know for sure how Spur structured their competition, nor do I know who or how many entries they had, nor the racial demographics of the respondents. I don’t know how wealthy the respondents are either. Frankly I don’t care.
    - I doubt if Spur do either. The competition was not about giving away a prize, but about advertizing a brand and getting feet through the door.
    - One other point – as someone who has been involved in market promotion for years, I KNOW competitions CAN be SKEWED to achieve a particilar aim – such as more penetration in SELECTED areas. This can be was done e.g. keeping some areas short of entry forms, and even ensuring that the winning entry was infiltrated into a particular location in a bunch of “normal” entry blanks. Companies do this – any not just in SA. So if you believe that the competition is fair, good for you.
    - However as a result of being taken to task on just this (and I this is DISHONEST marketing), many companies (at the advice of statisticians) went the route of just using cellphone numbers – as these give no indication of race, creed, location, age etc.
    - Obviously making it R15, say, to enter the competition is going to exclude some entrants (if they bother to read the conditions – I know my 10 year old daughter did not in one case, and cost me over R5000 in calls!). However if anybody has any common sense they will realize that the prizes are being funded by the entrants. The company running the competition makes money from the balance of the monies, exposure of the winners, and additional exposure of the sponsor (food chain). WHO DO YOU THINK FUNDS THE R500000 PRIZE ON WIN-I-KIA?
    - We too won one of these competitions years ago – 3 weeks B&B etc in the southern US (I think it was California somewhere), but by the time I’d finished investigating the costs to use our winnings, I came to the conclusion it wasn’t worth it!
    - So those who want to see racist bias or otherwise etc in the competitions, or whatever your point of view just realize that it was an excercise that was intended to encourage people to go to Spur. You have the right to vote with your feet – either support or avoid this foodchain. IT IS YOUR CHOICE.
    - At the end of the day, Spur ran a competition. In retrospect perhaps there is a fairer way of drawing the winners – I don’t know.

    DaveS

29. Richard Catto Says:
    July 20th, 2008 at 21:31

    @Dave Stedman: Thanks for your comment.

    My opinion of Spur’s marketing is that it is generally tailored to appeal to whites. I think they should strive to change that because they are ignoring most of South Africa’s population.

    I especially loathe their sport related adverts which mostly feature white players.

    Those sports players probably don’t even eat at Spur because they can afford to eat at much better establishments.

    Spur is a cheap ass restaurant. The people who go to Spur go there because it’s relatively affordable. But people with money eat at classier joints.

    Even Saddles is more upmarket than Spur. And Saddles is puke.

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