The Transvaal's history in the rest of the 20th century was primarily economic. The province was extremely rich in mineral resources, especially gold and uranium. The gold deposits were concentrated in the southern Transvaal, in a highland area known as the Witwatersrand, where Johannesburg is located. The province also contained reserves of platinum, chromite, tin, nickel, diamonds, and coal. The complex of mining, industrial, commercial, and financial activities arising from this vast mineral wealth made the southern Transvaal the economic heartland of South Africa.

In page 14 of this document, it speaks of the background of the town Bloemfontein. The community of Bloemfontein initially consisted only of English speaking people. Almost all the houses and buildings were south of the stream on the so called 'water plots'. The town grew with the building of churches and schools and attracted many other groups like Germans, the Dutch, Jews and Afrikaners who were the first pioneers to settler there. The fast growing pace of the town also attracted many Black and Coloured people in search of work. The Blacks and Coloureds originated from the Bechuana, Hottentot, and Fingo groups, many of them emancipated slaves. Other mixed groups in the area included the Griqua, the San, the Khoikhoi and BaSotho.

Page 74 speaks about how Griqualand came about. The area between the Orange and Vaal rivers, originally known as Transoranje, with its abundance of permanent water sources, was the hunting grounds of the San. at the beginning of the 19th century. However, other groups began to infiltrate the area in the early 19th century. The Griquas under Adam Kok came from the west and settled themselves near the area later known as Philippolis. As a result of the Difaqane, many groups came to the Transoranje area in the 1820s from the east, fleeing from Shaka, King of the Zulus, and later Mzilikazi, first King of the Matabele.

In 1833, the Barolong under the chieftaincy of Moroka II established themselves at what was later known as Thaba Nchu. Around 1821, White stock farmers crossed the Orange River in search of grazing land, after drought and locust infestations ravaged the Cape Colony. Sometime between 1820 and 1826, trek Boer farmer Johan Nicolaas Brits settled in the Transoranje area. The area was convenient as it had a small stream and a fountain provided him with a good water supply. Apparently, the place Brits chose was originally a meeting place for hunters, and the Black people called it Mangaung (place of the cheetahs), but it became known as Bloemfontein in later years. There is some controversy surrounding the name, but one theory is that when Brits settled here, the fountain was surrounded by flowers and thus the Brits family named it Bloemfontein, literally meaning 'fountain of flowers'. Another theory is that the name was put forward by one of Brits' neighbors, Mr. Griesel, who referred it to as Mrs. Brits' garden. Over a period of time, conflict grew between the different population groups in the Transoranje area, resulting in British intervention. Therefore, in 1846, Major Henry Douglas Warden was appointed to set up a British residency in the area. Warden was tasked with the difficult job of maintaining peace between the different population groups and setting up an administration. His immediate orders were to set up a residency as soon as possible in a centrally situated place, between the areas occupied by Adam Kok and Mosheshwe. Warden accidentally came across the fountain area between the Riet and Modder rivers. From a military point of view, Warden found the area suitable because it was situated in a small valley surrounded by hills on all sides and was free of horse sickness. The centrality of the site would also make it easy for transport riders to bring necessary commodities to the settlement. Warden's troops, known as the Cape Riflemen, arrived in Bloemfontein