His poetry, heavily influenced by European Romantic styles, fused rhyme and stanza forms previously unknown in Zulu with elements of the "izibongo", traditional praise poetry. His poetry became increasingly political in the course of his life, dramatizing the exploitation of not only the Zulus but of black Africans generally. Both his novels and poetry were well received in his own lifetime and remain so today. Vilakazi is also noted for his scholarly work on oral tradition and the Zulu and Xhosa languages, which on 16 March 1946, earned him the first Ph.D. to be won by a black South African. A year after receiving his doctorate, Benedict Wallet Vilakazi died in Johannesburg of meningitis. On 28 April 2016, the Order of Ikhamanga - Gold (OIG) was conferred on Dr Benedict Wallet Vilakazi posthumously‚ for "his exceptional contribution to the field of literature in indigenous languages and the preservation of isiZulu culture". Vilakazi Street in Soweto is the only street in the world where two Nobel Laureates once lived. It is where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu once lived and it was named in honour of Vilakazi. Dr B.W. Vilakazi Secondary School in Zola 3, Soweto was named after the late Dr Vilakazi in order to commemorate his legacy.