Saad Family Reclaims Management Of Tengile Properties From &Beyond And Unveils New Branding

Tengile Game Reserve in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve features two accommodation offerings: Tengile River Lodge and Kirkman’s Kamp. Both have historically been managed by &Beyond. As of 1 March 2026, management of these two properties shifted back to the reserve’s owners, the Saad family, necessitating new, standalone branding.

The Saad family, along with the local Shangaan community, also manage the neighbouring MalaMala Game Reserve, which is part of the Greater Kruger National Park.

MalaMala Game Reserve comprises Rattrays Lodge, MalaMala Camp and Sable Camp. With a fourth offering, the new luxury Khensani River Lodge, opening later this year, MalaMala required a brand update to reflect its extended portfolio.

A shared heritage

“Our story is inseparable from this land – its wildlife, its ancient rhythms, and the Shangaan community who have shared in its care for generations,” says Savannah Saad, spokesperson for the Saad family. “From the beginning, this has been a story of partnership. Our family and the Shangaan community are connected by a shared commitment to protecting this extraordinary landscape for future generations. Together, we are privileged to act as custodians of this remarkable place, building on nearly a century of conservation with humility, care and deep respect.”

Gary Harwood, owner and director of HKLM, says the creative team advised the Saad family to formally link the two game reserves under a single, united brand.

“We were tasked with investigating everything from the brand positioning and brand identities to the visual languages, marketing and communication strategy, and internal brand engagement,” Harwood explains. “We wanted to create a brand that would stand out in today’s highly competitive, luxury ecotourism market while reflecting the true magnificence of these two properties and the diversity of the camps and lodges within them.”

This thinking, combined with the need to honour the properties’ individual brand equities and heritages, led to the creation of the Tengile MalaMala Collection.

“When we first started talking about creating the Tengile MalaMala Collection, we knew we were taking on something incredibly important. We weren't simply creating a new brand; we were bringing together a number of iconic lodges with their own proud histories, while at the same time preparing to launch a completely new property. It was essential that we found a way to honour that heritage while creating something that would carry us confidently into the future,” reflects Caroline Burke, MD of the Tengile MalaMala Collection.

A deep respect for the land

The two game reserves are linked by 27km of Sand River frontage – more frontage than any other property in the Sabi Sand region. As such the Sand River is a dominant feature of the land, a life-giving force that sustains an incredibly diverse range of fauna and flora.

The HKLM team used this as the starting point for the new branding, with the logo reflecting the flow of the river and the colour palette being derived from the wild landscape.

It was the inspiration behind the brand purpose, however, that elevated this project beyond just a simple rebrand into the creation of a true purpose-led brand.

“‘Ntumbuluko’ is the Shangaan expression for ‘having a deep respect for nature and a commitment to preserving the delicate balance of our ecosystem’. It inspired the new brand purpose, ‘to ensure the prosperity of our people and our planet’, as well as the brand vision, ‘to ensure that our people prosper, knowing that when they prosper, so too does our iconic wilderness and wildlife,’” explains Catherine Kruger, executive creative director at HKLM.

She adds that the team drew further inspiration from traditional Shangaan fabrics, which have a visual structure similar to Hermes scarves with a striped pattern border element and storytelling illustration with mirrored layout in the centre, for the brand illustrations. This led to the creation of six unique illustrations that captured the fauna, flora, heritage and culture of each property.

It was important for the creative team to equally portray the Collection’s unique hospitality offerings, iconic wildlife and its proximity to the Sand River through photography and videography. As such HKLM invested heavily in new video and stills imagery, largely anchored by the Sand River. It further created a more sophisticated brand identity and visual language, using the six brand illustrations to depict the natural and historical diversity of each of the camps and lodges.

The result is a unified identity across the two game reserves and six different lodges and camps that tells a unique story. One of operating in partnership with local community shareholders, ensuring conservation, employment and long-term development remain aligned for the people who live alongside this pristine wilderness.

“What impressed me most throughout the process was how much time the HKLM team invested in really understanding who we are. They didn't arrive with preconceived ideas or try to fit us into a template. Instead, they listened, challenged us where we needed it, and helped us articulate things that we instinctively knew but hadn't yet found the words for ourselves,” adds Burke.

Purpose-lead branding

This approach enabled HKLM to create a true purpose-led brand that Kruger says represents the future of luxury ecotourism brands.

“Luxury ecotourism is starting to feel overtraded. Many lodges look the same, like they’ve all been designed using the same high-end décor catalogue. They’re modern and slick, but few have any real depth, soul and a sense of history. True luxury brands are built around brand soul, story, myth and legend. It’s important to deeply embed these aspects into the brand. We need to shift from status to purpose, from product to ecosystems, from indulgence to restorative experiences, from exclusivity to responsible access, and from marketing messages to lived proof,” she notes.

This thinking is reflected in current research trends, which show that modern luxury buyers, particularly high net-worth individuals and eco-conscious travellers, crave experiences that restore rather than flaunt.

Data from Knight Frank’s 2025 Wealth Report, for instance, revealed that 68% of global ultra-high-net-worth individuals prioritised ‘wellbeing and sustainability’ over traditional status.

HKLM’s deep understanding and extensive experience within this sector has informed its approach to branding luxury ecotourism products; an understanding that ecotourism is essentially about responsible travel to culturally- and environmentally-sensitive destinations.

“Brands can be and should be a force for good. We have seen that over the past 23 years working with some of the most esteemed ecotourism brands in this category, including Singita, Tswalu, Wilderness and Fregate Island,” Harwood says.

It is anticipated that the new Tengile MalaMala Collection will do just that, supporting the continued prosperity of the Shangaan people, the wilderness and the wildlife as it leads the way in sustainable, luxury ecotourism.

“Our new brand feels authentic. It doesn't feel like something that has been imposed on the business; it feels like it has grown naturally from who we are. That is incredibly difficult to achieve, and I think it is a testament to the care, thought and partnership that HKLM brought to the process,” concludes Burke. “This branding exercise was one of the most important parts of launching the Tengile MalaMala Collection. It has influenced far more than our marketing. It has helped shape the way we think about ourselves, the way we tell our story and, ultimately, the future of our business.”