She moved to South Africa, found a job within 30 days and was stunned: “The salary is enough, and you forget about insecurity”

Daniela Cersosimo left Argentina for South Africa and found work just 30 days after settling in Cape Town. Her account spread on social media through one sentence: “The salary is enough, and you forget about insecurity.”

Although many people mistake her for an Argentine because of her accent, Cersosimo was born in South Africa. Her father, a porteño, moved to Johannesburg in the 1970s in search of better job opportunities. The family later returned to Argentina, hoping to settle near its roots, but the plan repeatedly failed.

The family first moved to Villa Devoto in 1997, when Daniela was three. They bought an apartment and opened a bakery, but the business never became profitable. Her mother’s asthma also worsened in Buenos Aires, so the family returned to South Africa after three years.

They tried Argentina again in 2004, choosing Mar del Plata because of insecurity in Johannesburg. They bought a house in Parque Camet and took out a loan to renovate it. Rising expenses and loan payments eventually made the arrangement unsustainable. The family sold the house to clear its debts and moved into a rented apartment. Daniela changed from a private to a public school and began working in the family kiosk at 13.

A 2017 vacation in South Africa with her Argentine partner, Mariano Morel, revived the idea of moving there. In October 2018, they arrived in Cape Town with $6,000 in savings. They initially sold empanadas at a local fair while looking for work. Daniela soon secured a position at an information technology company, helped by her command of Spanish.

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The salary is enough, and you forget about insecurity