Natal colonists were not merely the first in the field with the transport traffic to the new goldfields; they became some of the earliest proprietors of mines, and for several years many of the largest mining companies had their chief offices at Pietermaritzburg or Durban.
Natal-kolonisterne var ikke kun de første med transporttrafikken til de nye guldfelter; de blev nogle af de tidligste indehavere af miner, og i flere år havde mange af de største mineselskaber deres hovedkontorer i Pietermaritzburg eller Durban.