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The composition of the anthophilous insect fauna of a plant community in the north-western Cape, South Africa, has been investigated During a 3-year survey more than 300 species belonging to four orders and 41 families have been identified as day-active floral visitors. The vast majority are solitary bees (136 spp.), but masarine wasps (14 spp.), bombyliid flies (53 spp.), and monkey beetles (20 spp.) are also well represented. The anthophilous insect fauna of Goegab appears to be far more diverse than those of desert scrub communities in California and Chile, but equally diverse as that of a Californian Chaparral site. Compared to the latter, Goegab seems to be particularly rich in bee flies, Masarinae and possibly Eumenidae, but poorer in bees and butterflies.