Thandi Klaasen (born Thandiwe Nelly Mpambani, 27 September 1931 – 15 January 2017) was a jazz musician from Sophiatown, Gauteng.
Thandiwe Nelly Mpambani grew up in Sophiatown, the daughter of a shoemaker and a domestic worker.
[3] Klaasen performed with Dolly Rathebe, Miriam Makeba, Dorothy Masuka, and others.
[4] Klaasen was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold (2006) for "excellent achievement in and contribution to the art of Music".
In August 2013, as part of the Women's Month celebrations, Klaasen and four other icons of South African jazz - Abigail Kubeka, Dorothy Masuka, Sathima Bea Benjamin and Sylvia Mdunyelwa - were honoured by Standard Bank with lifetime achievement awards.