Northam Platinum says that it is expecting its earnings to fall when it announces its interim results at the start of next year.

The platinum mining giant is anticipating a sharp drop in headline earnings for the six months until December 31st, with the fall estimated to be at least 40 per cent and potentially as large as 50 per cent in comparison to last year.

The drop in headline earnings is being forecast largely as a result of the fire that swept through one of the company's main operations in September.

Nine people died in the blaze at the Limpopo mine, with Northam losing more than 5,000 troy ounces of metal in production.

In a statement Northam said that "production at the company's mine will consequently be significantly lower than in the comparable period".

The platinum miner, which will release its interim results in February, also says that the strength of the rand is continuing to hit profits.