diff --git a/magnum/common/k8s_manifest.py b/magnum/common/k8s_manifest.py
index c9e7197d4c..5db39389d0 100644
--- a/magnum/common/k8s_manifest.py
+++ b/magnum/common/k8s_manifest.py
@@ -19,11 +19,6 @@ import yaml
 from magnum.openstack.common._i18n import _
 
 
-if hasattr(yaml, 'CSafeLoader'):
-    yaml_loader = yaml.CSafeLoader
-else:
-    yaml_loader = yaml.SafeLoader
-
 if hasattr(yaml, 'CSafeDumper'):
     yaml_dumper = yaml.CSafeDumper
 else:
@@ -34,13 +29,6 @@ def _construct_yaml_str(self, node):
     # Override the default string handling function
     # to always return unicode objects
     return self.construct_scalar(node)
-yaml_loader.add_constructor(u'tag:yaml.org,2002:str', _construct_yaml_str)
-# Unquoted dates like 2013-05-23 in yaml files get loaded as objects of type
-# datetime.data which causes problems in API layer when being processed by
-# openstack.common.jsonutils. Therefore, make unicode string out of timestamps
-# until jsonutils can handle dates.
-yaml_loader.add_constructor(u'tag:yaml.org,2002:timestamp',
-                            _construct_yaml_str)
 
 
 def parse(manifest_str):
@@ -55,7 +43,7 @@ def parse(manifest_str):
         manifest = json.loads(manifest_str)
     else:
         try:
-            manifest = yaml.load(manifest_str, Loader=yaml_loader)
+            manifest = yaml.safe_load(manifest_str)
         except yaml.YAMLError as yea:
             yea = six.text_type(yea)
             msg = _('Error parsing manifest: %s') % yea
diff --git a/magnum/common/yamlutils.py b/magnum/common/yamlutils.py
index cd8850e523..8eac2a7abf 100644
--- a/magnum/common/yamlutils.py
+++ b/magnum/common/yamlutils.py
@@ -13,12 +13,6 @@
 import yaml
 
 
-if hasattr(yaml, 'CSafeLoader'):
-    yaml_loader = yaml.CSafeLoader
-else:
-    yaml_loader = yaml.SafeLoader
-
-
 if hasattr(yaml, 'CSafeDumper'):
     yaml_dumper = yaml.CSafeDumper
 else:
@@ -27,7 +21,7 @@ else:
 
 def load(s):
     try:
-        yml_dict = yaml.load(s, yaml_loader)
+        yml_dict = yaml.safe_load(s)
     except yaml.YAMLError as exc:
         msg = 'An error occurred during YAML parsing.'
         if hasattr(exc, 'problem_mark'):