Unlike Hofmeyr, content to allow matters to develop at their own pace, trusting that the seventy-year-old Kruger and his obstructive policies would not last much longer, Rhodes feared that the growing wealth of the Transvaal would give them the decisive voice in any future union negotiations.
I modsætning til Hofmeyr som var fornøjet med at lade tingene udvikle sig i sit eget tempo, den syvti år gamle Kruger og hans hindrende politik kunne uanset ikke vare meget længere, frygtet Rhodes at Transvaals voksende rigdom skulle give dem en afgørende stemme i fremtidige unionsforhandlinger.