Present day San marginalisation is rooted in the interaction of multiple factors:

Livelihoods: After centuries of land dispossession, most San are almost entirely dependent for their subsistence on extremely low-paid jobs or state welfare in the form of pensions or drought relief. There are very few San-run enterprises, and the employment of San in the state sector remains negligible, even given their low populations.

Education: San communities display education levels and literacy rates that are significantly below national averages. School dropout rates during or just after primary school are very high, and are linked to barriers such as bullying, geographical isolation, costs associated with schooling, and a lack of mother-tongue education.

Representation: In the past, many San communities lacked representative bodies and this made it difficult for them to voice their needs and concerns to government authorities and non-state actors. Today, San are grossly under-represented in the state organs throughout southern Africa.

Discrimination: As the unfortunate bearers of a wide array of negative stereotypes, San peoples are regularly the victims of discrimination at the hands of others.

Against such a challenging background, even small positive changes are noteworthy. Communities have started to get organised and to seek support to start development initiatives to diversify livelihoods. More San children enter the formal school system, and governments, particularly in Namibia and South Africa, have started to recognize the plight of the San. With WIMSA support, representative San bodies and community-based organisations have been established.