diff --git a/doc/sphinx/kernel_abi.py b/doc/sphinx/kernel_abi.py
index 32c50e496b5..930e9273b16 100644
--- a/doc/sphinx/kernel_abi.py
+++ b/doc/sphinx/kernel_abi.py
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ from os import path
 from docutils import nodes, statemachine
 from docutils.statemachine import ViewList
 from docutils.parsers.rst import directives, Directive
-from docutils.utils.error_reporting import ErrorString
+
+def ErrorString(exc):  # Shamelessly stolen from docutils
+    return f'{exc.__class__.__name}: {exc}'
 
 #
 # AutodocReporter is only good up to Sphinx 1.7
diff --git a/doc/sphinx/kernel_feat.py b/doc/sphinx/kernel_feat.py
index 2fee04f1ded..cca48f6f1a4 100644
--- a/doc/sphinx/kernel_feat.py
+++ b/doc/sphinx/kernel_feat.py
@@ -41,7 +41,9 @@ from os import path
 from docutils import nodes, statemachine
 from docutils.statemachine import ViewList
 from docutils.parsers.rst import directives, Directive
-from docutils.utils.error_reporting import ErrorString
+
+def ErrorString(exc):  # Shamelessly stolen from docutils
+    return f'{exc.__class__.__name}: {exc}'
 
 #
 # AutodocReporter is only good up to Sphinx 1.7
diff --git a/doc/sphinx/kernel_include.py b/doc/sphinx/kernel_include.py
index f523aa68a36..6522de9dd69 100755
--- a/doc/sphinx/kernel_include.py
+++ b/doc/sphinx/kernel_include.py
@@ -34,11 +34,13 @@ u"""
 import os.path
 
 from docutils import io, nodes, statemachine
-from docutils.utils.error_reporting import SafeString, ErrorString
 from docutils.parsers.rst import directives
 from docutils.parsers.rst.directives.body import CodeBlock, NumberLines
 from docutils.parsers.rst.directives.misc import Include
 
+def ErrorString(exc):  # Shamelessly stolen from docutils
+    return f'{exc.__class__.__name}: {exc}'
+
 __version__  = '1.0'
 
 # ==============================================================================
@@ -109,7 +111,7 @@ class KernelInclude(Include):
             raise self.severe('Problems with "%s" directive path:\n'
                               'Cannot encode input file path "%s" '
                               '(wrong locale?).' %
-                              (self.name, SafeString(path)))
+                              (self.name, path))
         except IOError as error:
             raise self.severe('Problems with "%s" directive path:\n%s.' %
                       (self.name, ErrorString(error)))
diff --git a/doc/sphinx/maintainers_include.py b/doc/sphinx/maintainers_include.py
index 13557d3d3c2..ab79a74dc0c 100755
--- a/doc/sphinx/maintainers_include.py
+++ b/doc/sphinx/maintainers_include.py
@@ -22,10 +22,12 @@ import re
 import os.path
 
 from docutils import statemachine
-from docutils.utils.error_reporting import ErrorString
 from docutils.parsers.rst import Directive
 from docutils.parsers.rst.directives.misc import Include
 
+def ErrorString(exc):  # Shamelessly stolen from docutils
+    return f'{exc.__class__.__name}: {exc}'
+
 __version__  = '1.0'
 
 def setup(app):