diff --git a/package/python/python.mk b/package/python/python.mk
index 9026703520..cc65376837 100644
--- a/package/python/python.mk
+++ b/package/python/python.mk
@@ -39,8 +39,12 @@ HOST_PYTHON_CONF_OPTS += 	\
 # Make sure that LD_LIBRARY_PATH overrides -rpath.
 # This is needed because libpython may be installed at the same time that
 # python is called.
+# Make python believe we don't have 'hg' and 'svn', so that it doesn't
+# try to communicate over the network during the build.
 HOST_PYTHON_CONF_ENV += \
-	LDFLAGS="$(HOST_LDFLAGS) -Wl,--enable-new-dtags"
+	LDFLAGS="$(HOST_LDFLAGS) -Wl,--enable-new-dtags" \
+	ac_cv_prog_HAS_HG=/bin/false \
+	ac_cv_prog_SVNVERSION=/bin/false
 
 # Building host python in parallel sometimes triggers a "Bus error"
 # during the execution of "./python setup.py build" in the
@@ -126,11 +130,15 @@ else
 PYTHON_CONF_OPTS += --disable-ossaudiodev
 endif
 
+# Make python believe we don't have 'hg' and 'svn', so that it doesn't
+# try to communicate over the network during the build.
 PYTHON_CONF_ENV += \
 	ac_cv_have_long_long_format=yes \
 	ac_cv_file__dev_ptmx=yes \
 	ac_cv_file__dev_ptc=yes \
-	ac_cv_working_tzset=yes
+	ac_cv_working_tzset=yes \
+	ac_cv_prog_HAS_HG=/bin/false \
+	ac_cv_prog_SVNVERSION=/bin/false
 
 PYTHON_CONF_OPTS += \
 	--without-cxx-main 	\