By  Beauty Runako Slindiwa

THE United States government is putting up $475,000 grant to help restore the stone walls at Great Zimbabwe.

Reports from Bloomberg indicate that the project will involve restoration of the stone walls, monitoring of their movement and combating the invasive lantana camara weed that’s threatening the structure said Lovemore Nyandima, a regional director for the Great Zimbabwe Museum.

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 said.

“All this is funded under the fund from the U.S. ambassador,” he said.

The project falls under the U.S. Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation. The U.S. embassy in Harare had no immediate comment beyond a release announcing the grant.

Great Zimbabwe is a fortress that dates back to the 11th century of which the country derived its name.