The collapse of a dot com is as filled with human drama as the closure of a mine or steel mill. The acrimony between the founders of The Shopping Matrix, following news of the provisional liquidation of the e-tailer`s holding company, Y-Tech Holdings, is a case in point.

Last month, Ster-Kinekor, a major creditor, said it would apply for the company`s provisional liquidation, after spending months trying to recover money owed to it by TSM. TSM`s new MD, Andro Engelbrecht, decided to not oppose the order and the site went offline last month.

TSM started life as a bricks-and-mortar reseller and reinvented itself four years ago as an online shop, catching two waves just as they broke: the move of DVD into the mainstream market and the rise of e-commerce in South Africa.