Waking up early in the morning has become Dorah Matiwane's routine. 

However, for the 81-year-old, rising up earlier than usual today was significant. 

"I normally get up just after seven in the morning because there is not much that I do now except perhaps to look after my grandchildren occasionally," she told BuaNews. 

But today was exceptional. 

Ms Matiwane's excitement was borne out of the fact that today she was casting her vote for the sixth time since the dawn of democracy in 1994. 

"...when I registered last year I realised that I still enjoy making my mark." 

And so it was just before noon today, when one of Sobantu Township's oldest residents realised her dream. 

The old woman is battling to walk because of her age, relying on her son Sipho to drive her to the voting station where he also voted. 

"Both my sons, my daughter-in-law and my grandchild Lindiwe went ahead of me and voted first, the good thing about it is that they continue to be responsible." 

For the granny, voting is a "right precious enough not to be taken for granted", and she is not the only person of her age in Sobantu to feel this way. 

A large number of elderly people turned out to vote, arriving on walking sticks or wheelchairs. 

One of the election observers at the Anton Xaba Hall in Sobantu also noted: "We have been seeing a huge turnout of elderly people since the start of voting in the morning." 

According to Zandile Dlamini of the South African Civil Society Observer Coalition, another remarkable factor was the assistance given to the elderly. They were not made to wait in queues but got through first to enable them to finish the process quickly. 

"Clearly those who had this experience told others because as the day progressed we continued seeing a large turnout." 

She pointed out that young people had been clearly outnumbered by their elders. 

Ms Matiwane who had already voted when she spoke to BuaNews stressed there was no doubt that changes in their lives were visible and that was why she had voted. 

She knows how difficult it is to wait "almost a lifetime" before being given a chance to exercise her right.