diff --git a/c-ares.changes b/c-ares.changes
index 2debe42..76b6e96 100644
--- a/c-ares.changes
+++ b/c-ares.changes
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ Tue Dec  7 16:57:20 UTC 2021 - Adam Majer <adam.majer@suse.de>
   * Add support for URI(Uniform Resource Identifier) records via
     ares_parse_uri_reply()
 
+- disable unit tests for SLE12 since GCC compiler too old to build
+  unit tests
 - 5c995d5.patch: upstreamed
 - disable-live-tests.patch: refreshed
 
diff --git a/c-ares.spec b/c-ares.spec
index 9ee3e66..7b27f50 100644
--- a/c-ares.spec
+++ b/c-ares.spec
@@ -87,16 +87,23 @@ to build packages that depend on c-ares.
 %autosetup -p1 -n c-ares-%{version}
 
 %build
-%cmake -DCARES_BUILD_TESTS:BOOL=ON
+%cmake \
+%if 0%{?suse_version} >= 1500
+    -DCARES_BUILD_TESTS:BOOL=ON \
+%endif
+     %nil
+
 %cmake_build
 
 %install
 %cmake_install
 
 %check
+%if 0%{?suse_version} >= 1500
 pushd build
 %cmake_build -C test
 LD_LIBRARY_PATH=.%_libdir:./%_lib ./bin/arestest
+%endif
 
 %post   -n %{libname} -p /sbin/ldconfig
 %postun -n %{libname} -p /sbin/ldconfig