At least 205,000 chickens have died from bird flu in at least 60 separate outbreaks across the country.
Majority of the outbreaks are in Gauteng province, which includes the country's biggest city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria.
Some grocery stores in Johannesburg were limiting the number of eggs customers were allowed to buy this week — in some cases to one carton of six eggs — and the government acknowledged there were "supply constraints."
The government announced approximately 2.5 million chickens had been culled.
The South African Poultry Association said another 5 million egg-laying chickens had been culled.
Izaak Breitenback, the general manager of the South African Poultry Association said 7.5 million birds represented 20-30% of the nation's total chicken stock.
Thoko Didiza, South Africa's Agriculture Minister said government was moving to fast-track new import permits to bring in eggs from other countries.
This will "ensure sufficient supplies for customers," she said.
Didiza's ministry is also considering embarking on a vaccination program to halt the bird flu outbreaks, after announcing that the number of farms with cases was increasing.
Neighboring Namibia has banned chicken meat and egg imports from South Africa.
The outbreaks are hitting an industry already struggling due to an electricity crisis.
Breitenbach said South Africa has had three major bird flu outbreaks in recent years, and the latest ones were "by far the worst," already costing the industry losses of at least $25 million.
Vaccines would need to be imported and hopefully be ready to use in two to six months, he added.
FILE - A general view of an empty shelf where there are usually eggs for sale at a supermarket in Johannesburg on October 4, 2023.
Wilhelm Mare, chairman of the poultry group in the South African Veterinary Association, said approximately 8.5 million egg-laying chickens could be affected and more than 10 million birds overall.
"It tells me we're going to have problems with this situation for quite a while," Mare said, calling it "catastrophic" for the industry.
The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month that bird flu outbreaks were on the rise globally, with more than 21,000 outbreaks across the world between 2013 and 2022.
Bird flu rarely infects humans.
Eggs are an important and affordable source of protein in South Africa, but prices have risen steadily this year and the shortages caused by bird flu were expected to push prices up again. It will also contribute towards high food inflation for South Africans.
South African farmers said in January they had been forced to cull nearly 10 million young chicks, as Africa's most advanced economy experienced record blackouts at the start of the year, causing production to slow dramatically and leading to overcrowding on chicken farms.
South Africa's poultry industry also lobbied government to impose permanent duties on countries like Brazil, Denmark, Poland, Spain, and the United States for what the industry refers to as the "dumping" of cheap chicken products in the nation, threatening local businesses.