diff --git a/pym/portage/_selinux.py b/pym/portage/_selinux.py
index 2a7194c..1541da3 100644
--- a/pym/portage/_selinux.py
+++ b/pym/portage/_selinux.py
@@ -77,7 +77,20 @@ def settype(newtype):
 
 def setexec(ctx="\n"):
 	ctx = _native_string(ctx, encoding=_encodings['content'], errors='strict')
-	if selinux.setexeccon(ctx) < 0:
+	rc = 0
+	try:
+		rc = selinux.setexeccon(ctx)
+	except:
+		if selinux.security_getenforce() == 1:
+			raise OSError(_("Failed to set new SELinux execution context. " + \
+				"Is your current SELinux context allowed to run Portage?\n"))
+		else:
+			portage.writemsg("!!! " + \
+				_("Failed to set new SELinux execution context. " + \
+				"Is your current SELinux context allowed to run Portage?\n"), \
+				noiselevel=-1)
+
+	if rc < 0:
 		if sys.hexversion < 0x3000000:
 			ctx = _unicode_decode(ctx, encoding=_encodings['content'], errors='replace')
 		if selinux.security_getenforce() == 1: