 He obtained a teaching certificate in 1923 and taught at Mariannhill and later at a seminary in Ixopo.In 1933, Vilakazi released his first novel "Nje nempela" ("Really and Truly"), one of the first works of Zulu fiction to treat modern subject matter.He followed it in 1935 with the novel "Noma nini" as well as a poetry collection "Inkondlo kaZulu", the first publication of Western-influenced Zulu poetry.