It was expensive to buy eggs in October. The cost of 60 eggs rose from R136 to R162 between September and October, according to prices collected by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, which tracks the cost of food for families living on low incomes.

Supermarket shelves have been low on eggs the past few weeks because of an avian flu outbreak, which led to 1 in 5 egg-laying hens being culled or dying, the Financial Mail reported.

The country has had outbreaks before, but the usual control methods have been less effective this time around, says Shahn Bisschop, a specialist poultry vet from the University of Pretoria.