Didiza, a confidante of former president Thabo Mbeki, quit the cabinet when he was ousted in 2008 and traded her airconditioned government office for a 17m² kiosk amid the hustle and bustle of Bloed Street in central Pretoria.
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With blaring taxi hooters replacing the hushed whispers of the corridors of power, Didiza set up an eatery - Thoko's Kitchen - on the border of the central business district and Marabastad.
Between 2009 and 2011 she served up traditional African dishes such as pap and vleis, umngqusho and tripe to earn an extra income.
The little-known story of Thoko's Kitchen came to light this week as residents of townships surrounding Pretoria launched violent protests against the decision by the ANC to name Didiza as its mayoral candidate for Tshwane in the August local government elections.
Didiza, who was born in Durban, told the Sunday Times that she knew from her own experience with the restaurant that municipalities needed to create an environment for such entrepreneurs.
"It is survivalist. The issue is how [through] municipal by-laws, you are able to create a space for communities who operate on that level to succeed," she said.
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"What it is that can support them [street vendors] in terms of infrastructure so that they can be part of the local economy."
Anti-Didiza protesters said she was the wrong choice as mayoral candidate because she came from KwaZulu-Natal and was not fluent in Sotho or Tswana.
But Didiza has been a resident of Tshwane for more than two decades, and served on the executive committee of the ANC branch in ward 91, Pretoria East.
At a media engagement in Johannesburg this week, Didiza was reluctant to discuss Thoko's Kitchen.
She said she shut down the business when she was appointed CEO of the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute at the University of South Africa in 2012.
Didiza is House chairwoman in the National Assembly.
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