diff --git a/share/runtime-cleanup.tmpl b/share/runtime-cleanup.tmpl
index 97dd38fc..1791cae4 100644
--- a/share/runtime-cleanup.tmpl
+++ b/share/runtime-cleanup.tmpl
@@ -5,8 +5,10 @@
 remove usr/share/i18n
 
 ## not required packages installed as dependencies
-## no perl (it gets pulled in on ppc)
-removepkg perl*
+## no perl besides s390x
+%if basearch != "s390x":
+    removepkg perl*
+%endif
 ## no sound support, thanks
 removepkg alsa* flac gstreamer-tools libsndfile pulseaudio* sound-theme-freedesktop
 removepkg midisport-firmware