Tsvangirai says Mugabe now focused on legacy as career draws to a close
Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg
Mr Tsvangirai said he believed his former "sworn enemy" was now attempting to repair the damage wrought in a decade of chaos that brought the country to its knees.
The health of the independence leader has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after he had to be helped from an African summit by aides. But the 86-year-old leader had transformed his role from destructive tyrant to a more positive outlook.
"Mugabe may be part of the problem but he is also part of the solution," he said.
"You must understand this man has got a split personality from being a hero to being the villain the international community would like to define him as.
"If I was in the same position, would I like to go down as a villain? If there's an opportunity to rescue my reputation and legacy, I would go for that.
"I think Robert Mugabe genuinely believes he has left Zimbabweans at least talking across the political divide and he is committed to a peaceful Zimbabwe."
He said that "history would judge" Mr Mugabe's legacy, but he himself would seek no retribution against him and his colleagues were he to become president.
"Robert Mugabe has been portrayed as a demon but he himself made a contribution to that character and and I cannot defend what he did over the last ten years in terms of violence," he told the Telegraph.
"But there is also a positive contribution to our country that he made. He was a national liberation leader."
The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) also warned senior lieutenants of Mr Mugabe not to subvert the constitution by installing powerbrokers Emmerson Mnangagwa, the defence minister or Solomon Mujuru, the husband of the vice-president Joyce Mujuru, as his successor.
"There are maybe individuals, military people and police people who hate the MDC but it doesn't mean that the institutions will oppose democratic rule," Mr Tsvangirai said.
"We respect our security forces and we hope that in line with the Global Political Agreement, they will respect the rule of law, the GPA and the consitition."
The GPA, which established Zimbabwe's fragile coalition government is supposed to end with an elections - possibly in May next year - and both parties have pledged to respect the result whether his MDC or Mugabe's Zanu PF wins.
He said many Zimbabweans he spoke to who lost loved ones or were tortured as the country descended into chaos over the past decade who rejected talk of reconciliation, saying they wanted "justice".
"I say 'yes, an eye for an eye is good, but it may leave Zimbabwe blind'," he added.
Last week, Mr Mugabe was forced to publically deny rumours that he was suffering from cancer and close to death.
Mr Tsvangirai said he saw Mr Mugabe weekly and he seemed in good spirits. "His health, at his age, is quite normal," he said. "I don't see anything unusual - he is going to UN for the Millenium Development Goals summit and the UN General Assembly so as far as I'm concerned there's nothing unusual in his health to cause alarm. "However, if there should be anything to happen to him then you have to allow the normal constitutional processes to take place."
Robert Mugabe (L) shakes hands with MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2008 as they establish the coalition government Photo: AFP/GETT
Sept. 19, 2010