A group of Daure Daman community members has traveled to Windhoek to demand meetings with government officials over grievances related to mining activities and local leadership.

Led by chairperson Jimmy ||Areseb, the group previously attempted to meet President Nangolo Mbumba but was turned away at the State House gates last week due to a lack of an appointment. State House staff directed them to engage with the relevant ministries instead.

Today, the group met with Teofilus Nghitila, Executive Director of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism. However, during the meeting, nbc News team, invited by the concerned group, were asked to leave the room by the executive director.

The group has raised concerns over the awarding of an Exclusive Prospecting License (EPL) for lithium mining in the Daures area to Xhingfeng, a Chinese mining company. They are also calling for the removal of Daure Daman Chief Sagaria Seibeb, accusing him of nepotism, corruption, and poor governance.

In recent developments, Chief Seibeb enforced a High Court eviction order barring the concerned group from accessing Traditional Authority offices. Those who participated in a sit-in protest were forcibly removed by the Namibian Police’s Special Reserve Force.

The group plans to continue their engagements with officials from the Ministries of Urban and Rural Development and Mines and Energy in the coming days. They have voiced frustration over what they see as government inaction and are now appealing to President Mbumba to intervene.