Danny Jordaan recently visited New Brighton's Nangoza Jebe Hall to meet with elderly and disabled residents. For more than an hour, the mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro heard their grievances, from major (unemployment, crime) to minor (the lack of a bowling green for blind bowlers).One of the sternest complainants was a legend of New Brighton: Jumartha Majola, mother of cricket bosses Khaya and Gerald. A sprightly but grouchy 84-year-old, she was incensed that there was no Christmas party for the elderly last December.When he took the podium, Jordaan pointed out that, in fact, there had been a municipal bash for New Brighton old-timers. And Ma Majola had attended it. "We were here together and we were partying until the late hours!" Having forgotten, she laughed. The crowd guffawed.In his performance Jordaan deployed two of his gentler political weapons: humorous straight talk and an obsessive attention to detail.story_article_left1But you don't bring the World Cup to Africa without some steel in your mental armoury - and Jordaan's steel has flashed since he took charge in May last year, tasked with cleaning up one of the country's most corrupt big municipalities.The metro was the highest contributor to fruitless and wasteful expenditure for the 2014-15 financial year, and five top city directors have been suspended and face charges of corruption, with dozens of other cases pending.He recounted a showdown with two rotten targets. "When I started, one apparently said to the other: 'No, don't worry about him; by December, he's gone.' So I called them to a meeting and said: 'If I'm here in December, YOU are not going to be here in December.'" They weren't.It was the sort of little victory a master politician relishes: a snazzy verbal missile, delivered from the moral high ground. The memory brings a distinctive staccato chuckle: "Eh! Eh! Eh!"But there are tougher obstacles ahead. Jordaan is determined to untangle the municipal and ANC hierarchies: whenever officials jump to the commands of their party principals instead of their line managers, graft explodes and delivery vanishes."I made it clear [to the ANC region]: you have political power, we have governing power. Once we discuss and agree on policy, the administration must implement. If you want to check something, call us - but don't call us to give us instructions. Because otherwise you have a dysfunctional administration."He is frank about the ANC's miserable record, but has only disdain for the DA's promises."They can't bring their plan for Cape Town here. This is not Cape Town. The apartheid government invested in [it] - big time. It has excellent infrastructure and services, but the DA council has not put a single brick into those. Nothing. Even the Waterfront was created by the ANC ... And that mountain and ocean is a gift from God. The people love the ANC," said Jordaan. "They hate corruption. When you deal with that, their love for the organisation returns "If you cannot solve the problems of Nyanga and Gugulethu, don't imagine that somehow you understand the complexities of Port Elizabeth. The Eastern Cape has been deliberately denied investment, historically. It's not a step and repeat. I understand this city."He is scornful about DA mayoral candidate Athol Trollip. "Their candidate is a farmer from Bedford, who had to sell his farm because he couldn't even run it successfully. A city is far more complex."But Jordaan finds himself indirectly accused of worse failings than incompetence - his legacy as the 2010 Soccer World Cup local organising committee chairman has been questioned after the Fifa corruption scandal, particularly the revelation that the government had paid $10-million, via Fifa, to the dirtiest man in football, Jack Warner. Jordaan signed off on the payment, but defends it."We won the bid in 2004 and the money was paid in 2008. To bribe the referee four years after the game - does that make sense? Secondly, there was a clear agreement between the government and Fifa. If you give a donation, and people on the other side steal the money, why is it a problem for the donor?"I am very angry, because I have never done a corrupt thing in my life. The lawyers say wait for the dust to settle, then you can always go after them. But in the meantime it's not nice to be kicked without evidence. I've worked so damn hard. That World Cup had not a single scandal. Then, without evidence, it must be rubbished."An Ipsos/eNCA poll last month shows 34% of Nelson Mandela Bay residents saying they plan to vote for the DA and 30% for the ANC, with 21% undecided. Whatever happens, the verdict will be seen as a bellwether for the ANC. "The people love the ANC," said Jordaan. "They hate corruption. When you deal with that, their love for the organisation returns."  No 2011 glory, but ANC happy with 55% Danny Jordaan and the ANC want at least 55% of the vote in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro when the city goes to the polls next month.story_article_right2In 2011, the ANC's share dropped to 51.91% from 66.53% in 2006. The DA's share leapt from 24.39% in 2006 to 40.13%.Despite the stability he has brought to the metro, the mayor concedes the ANC will not get anywhere near the majorities it used to get before 2011."I think we have seen a tremendous boost in confidence of the people, not just through my presence, but our hard work as a collective. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are looking at 55% - whatever is extra is a bonus," said Jordaan.The ANC candidate list has left many angry. A candidate's house was torched in Uitenhage and another dodged bullets in New Brighton as gunmen stormed her house.Disgruntled ANC branches believe the provincial executive committee had tampered with the regional list before submitting it to the Independent Electoral Commission. The PEC has dismissed this allegation.A branch leader in Uitenhage, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed the list was "drastically and deliberately" changed. " They [the PEC ] want their own people, irrespective of what the branches say."Branch leaders claimed the motive was to neutralise those branches that back Jordaan - against the wishes of members of the PEC - to become chairman at the regional conference in December ."If they don't address it, we will be forced to act like others have done in Tshwane ... but we are disciplined," said a branch official.- Thanduxolo Jika..