Mr Peanuts dies at the age of 80

[caption id="attachment_95524" align="alignright" width="280"] Ruthrapathy “Peanuts” Pillay[/caption]

Tributes pour in for legendary vendor at PE sports events

PORT Elizabeth’s “Peanuts man” – a much-loved regular at cricket, rugby and soccer matches in the Bay – has died at the age of 80.

For years Ruthrapathy “Peanuts” Pillay’s distinctive voice could be heard shouting “peanuts, peanuts” as he sold his wares at just about every big sporting event.

Pillay died on Saturday and messages of support and condolence have been flooding in on social media ever since.

Pillay started selling his snacks as a youngster of just 12 to support his family when his father died in 1947.

He would leave his home in Malabar in the early hours of the morning to make it in time to big sporting events.

“He has been around for so many years and many people know him through his peanut vending, especially in the apartheid era.

“So the fact that so many white people still remember him is remarkable,” his niece’s daughter, Keshana Moodaley, said yesterday.

Born in South End in 1935, Pillay was the second eldest son of six siblings. He is survived by three sisters, as well as a number of nieces and nephews.

In 2013, Pillay was tracked down to an old-age home in Malabar by a group of nostalgic residents who started chatting about their memories of the man on the Facebook page Ex-PE ’60s ’70s ’80s.

After finding him, the group presented him with a certificate for his contribution to the atmosphere at sports events.

At the time, Pillay said he had been unaware of the big impact he had had on the community and had laughed about rumours that he had put three children through university using his peanut money.

-Amir Chetty