Hugh Vilakazi

Hugh Nhlanhla Vilakazi was born on November 14th 1951 in Durban, South Africa. He was the youngest of five children, his late brothers Herbert and Derrick, his late sister Gloria, and his living sister Cecilia. Hugh passed away peacefully at his home in Silver Spring, MD, at the age of 74. He had battled lung cancer for over 4 years. He is survived by his wife Pat, his two sons Vusi and Sizo, his daughter Lindi, his sister Cecilia and many nieces and nephews.

In 1957, during the apartheid regime in South Africa, his father Dr. Absolom Vilakazi was offered a teaching position at Hartford Seminary School in Connecticut. The South African government would not allow him to take his family to the US with him unless he chose to leave the country on an exit permit, in which case he and his children would lose their SA citizenship and never be allowed to return to South Africa again. Rather than leave his family behind, he chose to take an exit permit out of SA. Hugh was only five years old at the time. The children managed to assimilate well in the US and achieved high levels of education. At the age of 10, his father accepted a teaching position at American University in DC. In DC he attended Wilson High School and American University. That's where he met many of the friends he maintained a friendship with until he passed. He always spoke very fondly about this group of friends, many of whom are here today. He would reminisce about all the crazy stuff they did as teenagers in high school.

He obtained a B.A. in Business Administration from American University. He then attended Long Island University in New York City, where he obtained his Master's in Accounting and Finance. He worked at Olin Corporation in New York City for many years as an accountant. In 1981 he met and married his wife Patricia Bulose in New York City, a research nurse who is also from South Africa. They discovered it was a small world, as it turned out that his father and Pat’s father were roommates in college. They moved to Connecticut in 1981. Hugh had accepted a higher position there at the Olin Chemicals Research Center. While living in Connecticut, they started a family. They had two sons, Vusi and Sizo.

In 1986, he accepted a position as a budget analyst for the DC government. He moved his family to DC, where his daughter was born. In the year 2000, he began a teaching career in IT, and in 2006 he started a telecommunications business called Wireless Konnections. In 2008, he decided to go to South Africa to pursue new business ventures and to reconnect with his roots. He loved South Africa. So he would travel back and forth until he passed on.

He fought a courageous fight against lung cancer, choosing to power through the last years of his life with optimism and gratitude. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace.