Community members at Uis are dismayed about the alleged destruction of ancestral graves by Xinfeng Investments' mining activities.

The mine operates a few kilometres outside Uis, under the Daure Daman Traditional Authority in the Erongo Region.

Community members from Uis who recently visited Xinfeng Investments' exploration site are concerned about the impact of the activities on ancestral graves.

"There are graves where these people have been mining illegally; we have seen a grave that has been driven over with an excavator. We have observed the graves mentioned by Granny, where holes can be seen. We don't know what exactly happened, so we are calling on the heritage council to also start investigating this situation for us," said community activist Jimmy ||Areseb.

According to the community, a loophole in the mining regulations contributed to the problem, which allowed Xinfeng to team up with a Namibian company, Longfire, which had 10 mining claims.

Any Namibian can be given up to 10 mining claims, and because claims are meant for small miners who use non-industrial equipment, there is no need to do an environmental impact assessment.

The community stressed that if the required rigorous assessment was done, the company would have discovered that there are ancestral graves in the area.

"I don't believe these activities would have been carried out in China as they are being carried out here. So we are also calling on national bodies to come on board and get control of these illegal mining activities because we will not allow people to dig up our ancestors' graves without being given permission, without telling us we have got new graves we created there. Let's actually take these graves to the other side. Something must be done, but they just do anything they want."

Xinfeng representatives told nbc News that they were not aware of ancestral graves in the area they are exploring and apologised to the community.

"Sorry about that; we were not aware there were graves in that area. Somebody has not reported it. When they discover it, no one reports it, but we are happy to assist the families in ensuring a proper burial, rebuilding the grave, and restoring it. We are pleased to do that. However, at times, direct communication poses a challenge, particularly due to the English language barrier. Despite this, we are eager to hear their requests and are willing to cooperate," stated Hoaran Li, the Manager of Logistics at Xinfeng. 

The Ministry of Mines and Energy proposed amendments to the country's mining regulations.

Mining Commissioner lsabella Chirchir said the Act needs reviewing to keep up with new knowledge, trends, and practices for the benefit of all Namibians.