Forty-eight political parties are expected to contest the national elections on May 8. 

According to Sy Mamabolo, chief electoral officer of the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC), this is 19 more than the number of parties that contested the 2014 general elections.

The various parties signed the IEC code of conduct in Gallagher Estate in Midrand on Wednesday. 

"The code holds contesting parties and candidates to a code of behaviour intended to promote conditions that are conducive to free and fair elections and creating a climate of tolerance, free political campaigning, and open public debate. It is in effect from the day of proclamation of an election until the announcement of results," the IEC said in a statement. 

Here are the parties that are taking part in the 2019 elections in alphabetical order: 

• African Christian Democratic Party
• African Congress of Democrats
• African Content Movement

• African Covenant
• African Democratic Change
• African Independent Congress
• African National Congress

• African People's Congress
• African People's Convention
• African Renaissance Unity
• African Security Congress
• African Transformation Movement
• Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats
• Agang South Africa

• Al Jama-ah
• Alliance for Transformation of All
• Azanian People's Organisation
• Better Residents Association
• Black First Land First

• Capitalist Party of South Africa

• Christian Political Movement
• Compatriots of South Africa
• Congress of the People

• Democratic Alliance

• Democratic Liberal Congress
• Economic Emancipation Forum 
• Economic Freedom Fighters

• Forum 4 Service Delivery
• Free Democrats

• Front Nasionaal/Front National
• Good

• Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa
• Inkhatha Freedom Party

• International Revelation Congress
• Land Party
• Minority Front
• National Freedom Front 
• National People's Ambassadors
• National People's Front
• Pan Africanist Congress of Azania

• Patriotic Alliance
• People's Revolutionary Movement
• Power of African's Unity
• Socialist Revolutionary Worker's Party
• South African Maintenance and Estate Beneficiaries  
• South African National Congress of Traditional Authorities
• United Democratic Movement
• Vryheidsheidfront Plus
• Women Forward

The IEC says there is a record number of parties contesting the provincial elections. 

Gauteng has the largest number of parties contesting at 36. Western Cape and Limpopo come second with 34. KwaZulu-Natal has 31 parties contesting the provincial elections, while the North West has 29 parties. Mpumalanga and the Free State have 28 parties each. The Eastern Cape has 26 parties taking part while the Northern Cape has the smallest number at 21.