The United States of America has offered Zimbabwe $475,000 to help restore the stone walls at Great Zimbabwe, a fortress that dates back to the 11th century and which gave the country its name.
The walls, which are 11 metres in height in some places, are being affected by a weed from the West Indies known as Lantana Camara.
Much of the funding will be used towards the eradication of the weed that now threatens the ancient wall.
According to a regional director for the Great Zimbabwe Museum, Lovemore Nyandima, a system to detect any shifts in the walls will be put in place in August or September and an expert in the control of lantana camara will make an assessment. He added that the project is funded by the U.S. Ambassador.
According to a Bloomberg report;
Great Zimbabwe was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which ruled over ancestors of the modern-day Shona ethnic group, and is the biggest of about 100 stone ruins known as MadZimbabwe that are found in the country. Zimbabwe means house of stone.