Twenty-two Chinese nationals have pleaded guilty to committing cyber-related crimes in Zambia.

They are among 77 suspects who were arrested in April in connection to what authorities described as a “sophisticated internet fraud syndicate”.

The swoop on a Chinese-run company in the capital, Lusaka, followed an alarming rise in internet fraud cases in the country, targeting people in countries around the world.

The Chinese nationals are set to be sentenced on Friday, local media report.

There have been increasing cases of Zambians losing money from their mobile and bank accounts through money-laundering schemes which extend to other foreign countries, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) said in April.

People in countries including Singapore, Peru, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others across Africa have also been targeted in the online scam, Zambian authorities said.

Dozens of young Zambians were also arrested after allegedly being recruited to be call-centre agents in the fraudulent activities, including internet fraud and online scams, the DEC said during the arrests.

After a trial lasting several weeks, the 22 Chinese nationals, including one female, pleaded guilty to three charges – computer-related misrepresentation, identity-related crimes, and illegally operating a network or service.

The 22, along with a Cameroonian national, were charged with manipulating people’s identities online with intent to scam them.

The accused hold different positions in the Chinese-run Golden Top Support Services, the company at the centre of the raid.

The company, located in Roma, an upmarket suburb of Lusaka, is yet to comment on the allegations.

Li Xianlin, believed to be the director of the company, was charged with operating the network without a licence from the Zambian authorities.

On Tuesday, the state prosecutor requested the court to include more details about the charges.

The Zambian nationals were charged in April and released on bail so they could help the authorities with their investigations.

Authorities said the Zambians involved had been tasked “with engaging in deceptive conversations with unsuspecting mobile users across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms and others, using scripted dialogues”.

Among equipment seized were devices allowing callers to disguise their location and thousands of Sim cards.

During the raid, 11 Sim boxes were discovered – these are devices that can route calls across genuine phone networks.

More than 13,000 Sim cards, both local and foreign, were also confiscated, demonstrating “the extent of the operation’s reach,” according to the DEC.

Two firearms and about 78 rounds of ammunition were confiscated and two vehicles, belonging to a Chinese national linked to the business, were also impounded during the raid.

Dozens of gold miners are trapped underground after a pit collapsed in central Nigeria.

The incident happened on Monday after heavy rainfall in Niger state but news was slow to emerge because of the country’s general strike, which was called off on Tuesday.

Niger state emergency service agency spokesman Hussaini Ibrahim told the BBC that one person has been confirmed dead and they think over 30 people are still trapped as rescue efforts continue.

Officials believe the collapse was caused by the torrential rains which softened the soil.

“As at this morning [Wednesday] we believe over 30 people are still trapped, we can’t give you exact figures because even those on site didn’t know,” said Mr Ibrahim.

“One person has been confirmed dead and six persons were rescued and rushed to the hospital.”

He said that four excavators and rescue workers were at the scene trying to help those trapped.

Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake said that officials of the Mines Inspectorate had been sent to mining site in Galadima Kogo.

“Rest assured, we will investigate the causes of the disaster to prevent a recurrence and ensure the safety of all Nigerians,” he said in a statement.

Niger state is known as a hotbed of activity by criminal gangs who kidnap people for ransom.

Last year, mining activities were banned in the Shiroro area, where the mine collapsed, along with neighbouring districts, due to insecurity and safety concerns.

The state official said extra security had been provided to ensure that rescue workers were not abducted.

Mining accidents are not uncommon in Nigeria with many involving illegal miners going unreported.

In January, a deadly blast which rocked Ibadan, killing two people and injuring 77 others was said to be from explosives stored by illegal miners, the Oyo state government announced.

South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) has suggested forming a government of national unity after losing its parliamentary majority in last week’s elections.

It says it has reached out to all parties but negotiations are still underway.

“The results indicate that the South Africans want all parties to work together,” ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri told journalists.

The ANC got about 40% of the vote, with the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) on 22%, the MK party of former President Jacob Zuma on 15% and the radical Economic Freedom Fighters on 9%.

Under South Africa’s proportional representation system, any government would need to be formed of parties which together got more than 50% of the vote.

Ms Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC has had discussions with the DA, the EFF and other smaller parties.

She revealed that despite reaching out to MK, there has been no positive response.

Since the results were announced, there has been feverish speculation in South Africa about what sort of coalition could be formed.

Forming a government of national unity would allow the ANC to sidestep the dilemma of who to work with.

A coalition with the DA would have angered many party activists who see it as representing the interests of the white minority – a charge the party denies.

Working with two radical parties that broke away from it – MK or the EFF – would have alarmed the business community, as they both favour seizing white-owned land without compensation and nationalising the mining sector.

There is also a wide chasm between MK and the ANC due to the personal animosity between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mr Zuma, the man he replaced as ANC leader in 2018 after a bitter power struggle.

Mr Zuma has said he is open to working with the ANC as long as it has a new leader, while the ANC has said President Ramaphosa will not be removed and that it is non-negotiable.

While it will be difficult to get parties from across South Africa’s political spectrum to agree on common policies, Ms Bhengu-Motsiri was optimistic.

“We believe that despite any differences we may have, working together as South Africans, we can seize this moment to usher our country into a new era of hope,” she said.

She added that the ultimate decision on the way forward was up to the ANC’s national executive committee, which will be meeting on Thursday.